Late tries help Leigh see off Huddersfield

Betfred Super League

Leigh (6) 24

Tries: Brand, Armstrong, Davis, Niu Goals: O’Brien 4

Huddersfield (8) 10

Leigh Leopards scored two late tries to defeat the Huddersfield Giants in the first half of the 2025 Super League season and claim two victories.

Adrian Lam’s side came out on top in the final stages of the match with a Matt Davis try and Tesi Niu’s finish in the closing stages following a mistake made by Giants’ Elliot Wallis.

Leigh had a lead early on thanks to Oliver Wilson’s response, but they lost 8-6 at half-time due to Keanan Brand.

After eight minutes, Brad Dwyer fed Lachlan Lam with his first try of the season, which Brand caught and dipped over.

After 23 minutes, Huddersfield increased the pressure on Leigh when Zac Woolford stabbed a kick over Wilson’s line.

With a tip tackle by Edwin Ipape on Matty English allowing Flanagan to make it 8-4 with a penalty, Flanagan’s kick put the Giants in command, 4 to go, and the visitors kept their dominance as Leigh began to make errors under pressure.

Within a minute of the restart, Leigh awarded a penalty, and Flanagan knocked over a straightforward kick to extend the lead once more.

But a few moments later, the Leopards showed their attacking prowess when O’Brien passed Armstrong through a wonderful line through the Giants’ defense to slam it over from 30 meters to bring the score to 10-10.

As Huddersfield was twice shifted back several meters in the tackle and Alec Tuitavake was held up over the line before O’Brien slotted a penalty on 51 minutes to nudge Leigh in front, it clearly lifted the Leopards and their energy levels.

The game’s pivotal moment occurred when Wallis dropped the ball near his own line with only two points left, and O’Brien fed Davis who crashed over the posts with only 13 minutes left.

Leigh head coach Adrian Lam told BBC Radio Merseyside:

You get that in these circumstances, and the fact that there were yellow warnings about hurricane winds and rain, it makes me anxious because it levels the game, doesn’t it?

“We probably took more two-pointers than we would normally have taken during the game,” he said. But I’m proud of the players for holding on through that difficult opening period and coming out in good form at halftime.

“I believe the wind’s effect on us only would be greatest in the second half,” he said. I’m glad the fans came out in big numbers”.

Luke Robinson, the head coach for Huddersfield, told BBC Radio Leeds:

“I think we were in the game, so I’m gutted to be honest.” The work and dedication put forth by the players was incredible, and hopefully the fans and everyone else realize how close-knit they are and how important they are to each other and the team.

We handled the game in crucial situations that we simply didn’t do well, and I don’t believe our game management was as good as we could have been. You must learn something quickly when you first start.

Interchanges: Hughes, Tuitavake, Davis, Ipape, Brogan.

Huddersfield: Gagai, Swift, Hewitt, Bibby, Wallis, Flanagan, Lolohea, Burgess, Woolford, Wilson, Greenwood, Murchie, Cudjoe.

Interchanges: Golding, English, Rogers, Billington, Deakin.