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Huddersfield Giants 44-6 Leigh Centurions

Huddersfield Giants (10) 44

Tries: Edwards, Leutele (2), Wardle, O'Brien, McGillvary, Lawrence

Goals: Sezer (8)

Leigh Centurions (6) 6

Tries: Tierney

Goals: Reynolds 

Huddersfield Giants: Gaskell; McGillvary, Wardle, Leutele, McIntosh; Sezer, Cogger; Lawrence, Cunningham, Greenwood; Edwards, Jones; Yates

Interchanges: O'Brien, Trout, English, McQueen

Leigh Centurions: Elliot; Russell, Thornley, Gelling, Tierney; Reynolds, Ellis; Ioane, Peats, Sidlow; Hellawell, Thompson; Bell

Interchanges: Sa'u, Wildie, Peteru, McCarthy

Huddersfield Giants cruised to a 44-6 win at the Leigh Sports Village, as they notched up their biggest win of 2021. 

Huddersfield Giants were unchanged from their 26-20 win at Warrington Wolves, while Leigh named former Giants man Jamie Ellis at stand-off. Brandon Elliot made his debut for the home side after a nine-month injury layoff. 

The opening stages of the game saw plenty of pressure from the home side, which finally told after a good move on the right hand side of the pitch saw Lewis Tierney get the first try of the game for the Centurions. Reynolds couldn't add the extras and the Giants found themselves 4-0 down with 15 minutes gone. 

The Giants struggled with the swirling wind and found themselves pegged back and without the ball for much of the first half, but their incursions into the Leigh half were promising if not quite clicking fully to deliver the type of scintillating performance on the attacking side of the ball produced against Warrington, but Huddersfield were able to get over courtesy of Ricky Leutele, who profited from an excellent run from Jack Cogger to score the Giants opening try of the afternoon. Sezer converted the try and the Giants had the lead. 

The lead would be short lived as Ben Reynolds would level the game after the Giants conceded a penalty two minutes after the Leutele try, but two penalties in front of the sticks, both dutifully converted by Aidan Sezer allowed the Giants to go into half-time with a four point lead. 

The Giants started on the front foot, putting pressure on the Centurions line, Huddersfield thought they'd got their first try of the second half with a move onto the right hand corner but the try was chalked off. Huddersfield continued their assault on the Leigh line and got their rewards with a second try in as many games for Kenny Edwards. Sezer would add the extras from the boot and Huddersfield sat after 51 minutes with a 10 point lead. 

Huddersfield would score again with 20 left on the clock, this time a wonderful cross field move, finished off by Jake Wardle, this time however Sezer would miss the kick from 10m inside from the touchline. Huddersfield would bag a further advantage a few minutes after that Wardle try, as Jamie Bell was sent for 10 minutes in the bin after a high tackle on Giants hooker Adam O'Brien. 

O'Brien would get his revenge with a try of his own in the 70th minute, sneaking under the posts as the Giants exerted more and more pressure on Leigh in the final quarter of the game. Sezer would convert his fifth of the game, and the Giants would get a 20 point lead with just a few left to play. 

Huddersfield were, by now, starting to enjoy themselves on the pitch and would pick up another try, this time courtesy of Jermaine McGillvary after a lovely assist from Giants full-back Lee Gaskell. Sezer would add the extras to extend the lead to 26 points. Two late tries from Ricky Leutele and Michael Lawrence, punctuated by two Aidan Sezer conversions, meant the Giants left the Leigh Sports Village with their biggest win of 2021 so far, winning 44-6.