Huddersfield upset Leigh with five-try win

Huddersfield Giants secured a surprise 34-18 victory over in-form Leigh Leopards, dealing a blow to the visitors' hopes of securing a top-six Super League play-off spot.

The Giants dominated the match with five tries to Leigh's three, extending their winning run to five of the past six games. The result moved Huddersfield up to 12th in the table, leapfrogging York with two matches remaining in the regular season.

Leigh, who had won eight of their past nine games, remain fifth but still have a strong chance of reaching the play-offs after St Helens' loss to Leeds earlier on the same day.

The Leopards started strongly, with Owen Trout scoring after nine minutes following a high kick from Leigh's half. However, Huddersfield responded emphatically. Harry Rushton crossed first, followed by a penalty goal from George Flanagan. Taane Milne then capitalized on a defensive error from Leigh's Innes Senior to dive over for the Giants' third try before half-time, putting Huddersfield 14-6 ahead.

Niall Evalds extended the lead in the second half after Huddersfield broke from a dummy-half play, with Zac Woolford finding Evalds in support. Leigh responded with a try from Umyla Hanley, his 100th Super League appearance, to reduce the deficit to 20-12.

Cole Geyer then scored his first try for Huddersfield, following a goal-line drop-out that Leigh failed to clear. Robbie Mulhern replied for Leigh, keeping his side within six points with 11 minutes remaining. But Geyer sealed the victory with his second try of the game in the 74th minute, making the final score 34-18.

Leigh head coach Adrian Lam admitted his side had fallen short. "It was hard to watch and nothing like we’ve been over the past four months," he told BBC Radio Manchester. "I thought Huddersfield were great—they were very physical and on point. We knew we were going to come here and have a tough game, but we just came out of that really badly. It’s the worst we’ve played over the last three or four months."

Huddersfield’s victory was their seventh of the season, with key contributions from Milne, Evalds, and Geyer. Leigh’s defeat means they must now rely on other results to secure their play-off position ahead of their final two fixtures.