Challenge Cup: Huddersfield Giants hammer Catalans Dragons in major upset

[josie andrews]

Challenge Cup win for Huddersfield

There have only been two games in the quarter-finals of the Challenge Cup so far but there’s already been a major upset with Huddersfield Giants heading to Perpignan and hammering Catalans Dragons.

In a battle between the team at the top of Super League and the team in sixth, it was the underdogs who won and they did so convincingly with Ian Watson’s side recording an impressive 34-6 victory.

It’s a win that will certainly catch the eye of rival teams with the Giants now just 80 minutes away from a Challenge Cup Final for the second time in three years under Watson

Huddersfield beat Hull KR in the semi-finals that year and they could well face the Robins again after KR progressed against Leigh Leopards in a repeat of the 2023 final with a 26-14 win that perhaps doesn’t show how competitive the holders were.

That win has been blown out of the water now though by Huddersfield’s with Watson’s side landing the 3/1 upset and by such a wide margin too, especially considering Catalans only just beat St Helens.

There was anticipation pre-match surrounding the team news with the question being whether Adam Swift would play after leaving the field against Hull FC with blurred vision but the ex-St Helens man passed fit and started for the Giants.

Catalans were without their own star winger after Tom Johnstone failed a HIA against St Helens and had to leave the field in concerning circumstances but the Dragons did have Jayden Nikorima returning to partner Theo Fages in the halves.

Jake Connor opened the scoring early doors for the Giants and that was doubled when Adam Milner scored on the 20-minute mark as Huddersfield raced into a 10-0 lead.

Adam Swift continued his rich vein of form by adding another to make it 16-0 and even the Huddersfield Giants social media admin couldn’t believe it as they asked “What on earth is going on?”

That was the score heading into the break but the Giants were quick to add another with prop Seb Ikahihifo scoring minutes after the restart.

Esan Marsters kept up his very solid form with a score on the 50-minute mark to make it 26-0 to the Giants and ensure that a Challenge Cup upset was well on the way.

Catalans did hit back through Matt Ikavalu and there could have been a wobble but Huddersfield kept calm and Connor knocked over a penalty to keep the scoreboard ticking for the Giants.

A concerning incident saw Hugo Salabio leave the field following heavy contact but thankfully he did leave the field under his own power and Arthur Romano was sin-binned just after.

The Giants used the man advantage with Kevin Naiqama scoring the club’s sixth of the day to round off what was a very impressive Challenge Cup win.

https://www.seriousaboutrl.com/challeng ... set-90241/

[fozzie58]

That was a very surprising result but fair play to Huddersfield they went and to led them on French turf no easy task