Giants scrape into semis
Huddersfield Giants staged a late comeback against Castleford to secure a spot in the Carnegie Challenge Cup semi-finals.
Last Updated: 31/05/09 5:35pm
Huddersfield scraped through to the Challenge Cup semi-finals after a 16-14 win over Castleford at the Galpharm Stadium.
The home side came on strong in the first-half after falling behind early on, but the Tigers surged ahead against the run of play in the second-half as Huddersfield squandered numerous try-scoring opportunities.
But a comeback in the closing stages ensured that Huddersfield emerged as victors and kept their hopes of a trip to Wembley alive.
Castleford struck first after a period of early pressure. Rangi Chase lofted a kick towards the try line and Michael Shenton jumped highest to win the ball and touch down.
Attack
After a knock-on from Mitchell Sargent, the hosts mounted their first serious attack of the game, but it was brought to an end near the try-line after a blatantly forward pass from Luke Robinson.
The Giants suffered an injury blow when Jamaal Lolesi was forced off with a bloodied face after a clash of heads during a tackle. The New Zealand centre returned in the second-half with eight stitches in his face.
The hosts did manage to take the lead when Kevin Brown broke through the middle of two defenders and crashed over the line, before Brett Hodgson slotted over the simple conversion.
Huddersfield had a golden opportunity to extend the advantage moments later when Paul Whatuira broke through but David Hodgson chose to hand the ball off with a clear route to the line and the move broke down.
Territory was being dominated by the home side, with Stephen Wild almost scoring a try when he grounded a grubber kick from David Faiumu on the dead ball line.
Australian full-back Hodgson almost played in Martin Aspinwall but the ball eluded his grasp and trickled harmlessly out of play.
Kirk Dixon then levelled the scores against the run of play on the stroke of half-time by converting a penalty from the right-hand side.
Missed Chances
Simon Finnigan made a break out of nothing at the start of the second-half before the move spread out to the opposite flank and David Hodgson sailed over the line. But Whatuira's final pass was forward and the try did not count.
Castleford then made the hosts pay for their missed opportunities when Brett Ferres crashed over the try-line to the dismay and frustration of the home fans.
A Dixon penalty extended the lead to eight points after David Hodgson was penalised for holding down James Evans after the tackle.
Aspinwall came close to reducing the deficit but he was tackled then held up on the try-line by a stern Castleford defence. Shortly after, Brown knocked-on and another chance was passed-up by Huddersfield.
Castleford thought they had put the game beyond doubt with another try but Richard Silverwood consulted the video referee and discovered that Chase had been tackled earlier in the move.
That sparked a dramatic comeback as Wild side-stepped over the line after being released by a tremendous offload from Robinson.
The heartbreaking finale for Cas was quick to follow, as Danny Kirkmond finally put the Giants ahead inside the final three minutes after he collected a pass from Wild to cap a fine overlapping move.
