AS good as Warrington Wolves were in their quarter-final victory, Paul Anderson must be still kicking himself this week.

Huddersfield have, in recent years, had a tendency to go missing in big games and have shown an inconsistency that has left people doubting their ability to lift silverware.

This season, though, that has not been the case and most expected Huddersfield to offer a stern resistance to Wolves’ march towards a fourth Challenge Cup Final in five years.

But the only consistency on show at The Halliwell Jones on Sunday was Giants faithfully extending their awful cup record against the men in primrose and blue, a losing streak that stretches back to 1933.

It looks like Baloo will need to go over 'the bare necessities' – that is catching, taking contact and completing sets – with his men this week, because their completion rate in the opening 20 minutes created a deficit they were never able to recover.

Anderson loaded his side with the largest, most physically intimidating players at his disposal in an effort to bully Wolves and give a platform for Danny Brough’s lethal kicking.

But they were second best to Wolves’ pack, with Paul Wood’s rare nomination for man of the match a sign that Warrington’s forwards were top dogs, restricting Brough’s influence while giving Lee Briers the best possible platform for attack.

He did so with typical aplomb, starting off with a wonderful interchange with Ben Westwood for Wood’s opener and even adding a cheeky try of his own when shaping to kick high to the corner before placing a grubber through a gap to score unopposed between the sticks.

Briers on his own can change games in his side’s favour, but with Brett Hodgson also having one of his best games of the year then Huddersfield were always in trouble.

The full back went from prone on the floor to flying through a gap within the space of a few first-half minutes in a classic show of iron will, and was the best defensively that he has been for some time.

Wolves fans had Wembley on their lips as Giants capitulated.

 

 

INTERESTING NOTES

Wolves’ seventh win on the trot, their 13th out of the last 14 outings.

Huddersfield have now lost nine successive Challenge Cup meetings with Wolves, a run stretching back to their 21-17 Wembley win in the 1933 final.

Against Huddersfield on Sunday, Lee Briers made the 450th appearance of his career (including international appearances), having now played 417 times for Wolves since joining from Saints in 1997.

Joel Monaghan has now notched 82 tries in 78 Warrington games.

 

 

Challenge Cup quarter final
Sunday, July 14, 2013

Warrington Wolves...44
Huddersfield Giants...24

Wolves: Brett Hodgson; Joel Monaghan, Simon Grix, Chris Bridge, Chris Riley; Lee Briers, Stefan Ratchford; Paul Wood, Micky Higham, Chris Hill, Trent Waterhouse, Ben Westwood, Mike Cooper. Subs: Adrian Morley, Michael Monaghan, Garreth Carvell, Ben Currie.

Giants: Scott Grix; Jermaine McGilvary, Leroy Cudjoe, Joe Wardle, Aaron Murphy; Danny Brough, Luke Robinson; Larne Patrick, Shaun Lunt, Craig Kopczak, Brett Ferres, Ukama Ta’ai. Michael Lawrence. Subs: Eorl Crabtree, David Faiumu, Dale Ferguson, Anthony Mullally.

Scoring: Wood try, 10mins, Hodgson goal, 6-0; Waterhouse try, 15mins, 10-0; Higham try, 18mins, Hodgson goal, 16-0; Riley try, 26mins, 20-0; Lunt try, 30mins, Brough goal, 20-6; Ferguson try, 35mins, Brough goal, 20-12; Joel Monaghan try, 38mins, Hodgson goal, 26-12; Joel Monaghan try, 45mins, Hodgson goal, 32-12; Briers try, 52mins, Hodgson goal, 38-12; Carvell try, 58mins, Hodgson goal, 44-12; McGillvary try, 74mins, Brough goal, 44-18; Grix try, 79mins, Brough goal, 44-12.

Pens: Wolves 2 Giants 8

Referee: Phil Bentham

Attendance: 7,603

Top man: Lee Briers