After spending the week on top of the pile, the Huddersfield Giants had a home game against a Hull KR side who were looking for their first points after an opening round loss against the Wigan Warriors. Toulouse Olympique XIII collapsed under the Giants pressure last weekend but Tony Smith´s side were likely to be a much tougher prospect.

The Giants had Jermaine McGillvary and Ricky Leutele back in the side after they missed last weeks trip to Toulouse, while KR would have to go into battle without the services of Lachlan Coote and Albert Vete.

The Giants took an early shot at goal after being awarded an early penalty for a high tackle but were terribly wayward with the Olly Russell attempt.

The Giants were in control of the early exchanges as the Robins struggled to get out of their own half.

It was the Giants who opened the scoring through Chris McQueen who was on to take a Leroy Cudjoe pass, after the centre outjumped Theo Fages, to cross for the four pointer. Russell was again off the mark with the conversion attempt.

Luke Yates got the second Giants try on thirty-two as he accepted the invitation to walk through a shambles of a KR defence to ground under the cross bar. Russell managed to hit his third attempt of the day between the uprights for 10-0.

A Josh Jones break and dummy, confusing KR full back Will Dagger, saw the second rower cross on thirty-five for Huddersfield´s third try of the half. Russell was again able to convert for 16-0, the Giants taking control of the game.

There had only been one side in the first half as the Giants were good value for their lead.

It was business as usual a kick by Tui Lolohea collected and scored by Jermaine McGillvary in the corner. Russell was unable to add the conversion, the Giants now 20-0 ahead.

A high tackle from Greg Richards saw the KR substitute escape with a telling off from referee Hicks, rather than the red card which has been brandished elsewhere in the opening rounds fixtures.

On the hour mark Brad Takairangi pounced on a Jordan Abdull grubber into the in-goal area for the first KR points of the afternoon. Abdull was able to add the extras to reduce the arrears to fourteen points with twenty minutes remaining.

Shaun Kenny-Dowall went close on sixty-three as he chased down an Abdull kick and the Giants were forced to concede a drop out. A Kenny-Dowall offload to Ryan Hall nearly saw the winger over but the Giants managed to scramble him into touch. From nowhere, KR were revitalised with an hour on the clock.

Corbyn Sims was held up over the line on sixty-eight, but the Huddersfield defence held firm. Hull KR´s second try finally came after some great pressure on seventy-four minutes with a Mikey Lewis solo effort as he dribbled the ball downfield and grounded. In the aftermath Chris Hill was sin-binned as Abdull added the extras for 12-20.

The game was won on seventy-nine when McQueen took a Lolohea pass and spun out of the tackle to reach for the line and ground with the ball on his fingertips. Lolohea added the conversion for a final score of 26-12.

The Giants will have breathed relief at the final hooter as, despite scoring the last try, they were under immense pressure in the closing stages from a Hull KR side who came alive as the clock ticked past the hour mark. The Giants went from confidently dominant for the first hour, to hanging on for the win as the final twenty unfolded. Neither coach will be happy with their performances but the Giants happy with the result as they remain joint top of the pile with a one hundred percent start to the season.

Huddersfield Giants: Lolohea (G), McGillvary (T), Cudjoe, Leutele, Senior I, Russell (2G), Fages, Hill (SB on 74), Levi, Trout, McQueen (2T), Jones (T), Yates (T). Subs: English, Ikahihifo, Greenwood, O´Brien.

Hull KR: Dagger, Wood, Takairangi (T), Kenny-Dowall, Hall, Lewis (T), Abdull (2G), King, Litten, Sims, Linnett, Hadley, Halton. Subs: Parcell, Keinhorst, Richards, Garratt

Half-Time: 16-0.

Full-Time: 26-12.

Score Progression: 4-0, 8-0, 10-0, 14-0, 16-0 : HT : 20-0, 20-4, 20-6, 20-10, 20-12, 24-12, 26-12: FT .

Referee: Rob Hicks.