Finals Week 1
Hull FC 22 d. Huddersfield Giants 16

2007 engage English Super League Index [Table] [Draw] [Player Stats] [Club Headlines]

Location: United Kingdom > National > First Grade Competition: engage English Super League

Hull FC have home advantage
Mon September 24, 2007
Source: www.superleague.co.uk

Hull FC are still on course for a return to Old Trafford after struggling to a scrappy 22-16 victory over Super League play-off debutants Huddersfield Giants in the second eliminator at the KC Stadium.

The Black and Whites, runners-up to St Helens last October, got off to a flying start with two tries in the first 11 minutes but were forced to hold off a second-half fightback by the slow-starting Giants before earning a home tie against Wigan Warriors in next Saturday's semi-final.

Great Britain winger Gareth Raynor scored two of Hull's four tries but the architect of the victory was Australian scrum-half Matthew Head, whose kicking game ensured the Giants were on the back foot for most of the game.

The visitors trailed 22-6 before late tries from Paul Reilly and Kevin Brown set up a tense finish to an otherwise forgettable match.

Huddersfield appeared to be suffering from stage fright on their first appearance in the play-offs, with a plethora of handling errors in a nightmare opening.

Three quarters Rod Jensen, Jamahl Lolesi and Reilly all spilled possession deep inside their own half early in the tackle count and the Giants were ruthlessly punished.

Raynor scored Hull's first try after seven minutes, pouncing on a kick from Head, and hooker Thomas Lee followed him over the line four minutes later after profiting from Reilly's error, although the winger appeared to the victim of a high tackle from Garreth Carvell.

Hull, too, came up a series of handling blemishes but Huddersfield lacked the ability to punish them in quite the same manner, although they briefly threatened to make a game of it with a purple patch either side of half-time.

Bradford Bulls-bound centre Chris Nero, who later went off with a shoulder injury, and veteran half-back Robbie Paul both came up with clear breaks before the interval but both moves petered out through poor handling.

It was all Huddersfield in the early stages of the second half and it needed a last-ditch tackle from Hull winger Matt Sing to deny loose forward Stephen Wild after he went through a gap.

The Giants finally opened their account 11 minutes into the second half when a storming run from inside his own half by Lolesi set up the position for hooker Ryan Hudson to take a return pass from Brad Drew and cross for a try.

Chris Thorman's conversion cut the deficit to just four points but Tickle calmed Hull's nerves with a 57th-minute penalty after centre Richard Whiting had pulled off a timely interception to end another promising Huddersfield attack.

And stand-off Richard Horne made the game safe on 62 minutes when he intercepted a pass from his opposite number Kevin Brown to race 50 metres for a try.

Raynor then followed up a break by second rower Willie Manu to grab his second try but Huddersfield produced a late rally that caused a few anxious moments for the 12,140 crowd.

Long-range breaks by Jenson and Wild pulled the Hull defence out of position and Drew put in pinpoint kicks to create tries for Reilly and Brown.

Thorman's second goal cut the gap to six points but Huddersfield ran out of time as they went for an equaliser.

Report source: www.superleague.co.uk

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