Saints hold their nerve
St Helens avoided another Friday night slip-up after edging past Huddersfield 30-22 at Knowsley Road.
Last Updated: 11/06/10 10:17pm
St Helens avoided another Friday night slip-up after edging past Huddersfield 30-22 at Knowsley Road.
A week after allowing Hull to launch a second half fight-back before conceding a decisive last-minute drop goal, Saints looked like again surrendering a winning lead.
The Giants had twice fought back to level at 22-22, but young winger Jamie Foster kept his nerve to nudge his side back in front with a penalty 10 minutes from the end and Saints made sure of victory with a fifth try, from Andrew Dixon.
St Helens were without seven regulars, including England pair James Graham and James Roby, but former internationals Leon Pryce and Paul Wellens impressed for the hosts, who made a superb start with two tries in the first 13 minutes.
Right centre Matt Gidley finished decisively after taking an inside pass from skipper Keiron Cunningham, and centre Gary Wheeler stole the ball from Giants captain Brett Hodgson to score an opportunist try.
Huddersfield pulled a try back on 17 minutes when Luke Robinson and Stephen Wild combined to get loose forward David Faiumu over.
Saints were always the more dangerous side, though, and they increased their lead when big forward Tony Puletua proved unstoppable from 10 metres out after taking another short ball from Cunningham.
Foster's second conversion put his side 12 points clear but the introduction off the bench of Scott Grix and David Fa'alogo injected new life into the visitors, who struck back with two tries in four minutes before the break.
Winger Jermaine McGillvary went desperately close before former St Helens favourite Lee Gilmour cut inside to take Robinson's pass and touch down.
A 40-20 kick from Robinson then set up the position for Fa'alogo to send Grix over and Brett Hodgson's second goal tied the scores.
Boosted
Clearly boosted by their two-try burst, the Giants regained possession from their own kick-off and prop Darrell Griffin forced his way over the line, only for referee Ben Thaler to rule the tackle on him had been completed.
Saints made the most of the let-off, working the ball to the other end of the field where former Huddersfield front-rower Nick Fozzard charged over from close range for his first try for more than three seasons.
St Helens were looking the likely winners until Faiumu squeezed the ball out of a two-man tackle to Grix and he kept the ball alive for centre Leroy Cudjoe to jink his way over for Huddersfield's fourth try.
Hodgson's third goal levelled the scores for a second time but Foster edged his side back in front with an angled 40-metre penalty after centre Matt Gidley had been obstructed chasing his own kick ahead.
And Saints made sure of the win when second-rower Dixon finished off a half-break by Pryce and Foster kicked his fifth goal.
