ESL ESL - Huddersfield - News, Views and Spews !

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Huddersfield Giants forward Sebastine Ikahihifo has returned to the Super League club after two seasons on loan with Salford Red Devils.

Ikahihifo, 30, made 28 appearances for Salford, including the 17-16 Challenge Cup final defeat by Leeds in 2020.

He originally joined Giants from Australian NRL side St George Illawarra Dragons in 2016, having previously been at New Zealand Warriors.

He was selected for the Super League Dream Team in 2017.

Huddersfield head coach Ian Watson, who took Ikahihifo to Salford, said: "He's a great fella to have around.

 

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Huddersfield Giants have signed half-back Tui Lolohea from Salford Red Devils on a two-year contract.

The 26-year-old previously played under head coach Ian Watson at the Red Devils and reached the Super League Grand Final and Challenge Cup final there.

 

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Huddersfield Giants have signed New Zealand hooker Danny Levi from Brisbane Broncos on a two-year deal.

The 25-year-old has made 112 appearances in Australia's National Rugby League since making his debut for Newcastle Knights in 2015.

Levi has also played for Manly Sea Eagles and more recently the Broncos.

 

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Huddersfield Giants winger Louis Senior has signed a new deal to remain with the Super League club for a further 12 months.

The 21-year-old came through the club's academy and has made 35 appearances during his time at the Giants.

 

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Huddersfield Giants winger Louis Senior has signed a new deal to remain with the Super League club for a further 12 months.

The 21-year-old came through the club's academy and has made 35 appearances during his time at the Giants.

 

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Huddersfield Giants wing Innes Senior has signed a new one-year contract with the Super League club.

The 21-year-old outside back has been on loan with the Giants' top-flight rivals Wakefield Trinity since midway through 2020.

He made 15 appearances this season, scoring five tries, and will return to the Giants for 2022 alongside his twin brother Louis.

 

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Huddersfield Giants full-back Olly Ashall-Bott has signed a new one-year deal.

The 24-year-old joined the Super League side in January and made nine appearances last season.

 

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Betfred Super League
Huddersfield (18) 36
Tries: Trout, Yates, McGillvary, Leutele 3 Goals: Pryce 6
Castleford (0) 24
Tries: Trueman 2, Fonua, Eden Goals: O'Brien 4

Ricky Leutele's hat-trick helped Huddersfield Giants to victory and quelled Castleford Tigers' remarkable second-half fightback.

Giants led 18-0 at the break after a utterly dominant first 40 in which Owen Trout, Luke Yates and Jermaine McGillvary crossed with ease.

Jake Trueman started the comeback and Tigers led when he scored his second after Mahe Fonua and Greg Eden tries.

Yet it was all in vain as Leutele's 16-minute treble settled it for Giants.


It leaves the Giants just two points behind leaders St Helens, while the Tigers are second-bottom.

Ian Watson's side were scarcely threatened to any great amount as they racked up a healthy lead in the opening period, inspired by Chris McQueen's graft and craft and the livewire dummy-half work of Danny Levi.

Trout battered his way over from one such Levi spark, while Yates took a McQueen offload to streak in and McGillvary's score was raw power on the right.

And, when they were finally put on the backfoot by the Cas revival, Leutele showed composure and class to finish off under pressure for a rapid hat-trick - notably when George Lawler had gone to the sin-bin to leave Cas short-handed.

 

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Betfred Super League
Huddersfield (12) 28
Tries:Trout, Levi, Fages, Jones Goals: Lolohea 5, Russell
Catalans Dragons (8) 12
Tries:Langi, Davies, Chan

Huddersfield climbed above Catalans Dragons to third in Super League after running in four tries to claim their fifth win in seven games this season.

After a delayed kick-off due to 'severe transport disruptions' for the French visitors, Samisoni Langi's try put Catalans ahead but the hosts turned it around to lead 12-8 by the break.

Front-row forwards Owen Trout and Danny Levi both scored converted tries.

Frenchman Theo Fages and Josh Jones scored the Giants' second-half tries.


Joe Chan crossed after the break for the Dragons, to follow up winger Tom Davies's effort just before the break - but all three tries went unconverted, in comparison to Huddersfield, who kicked six goals, five of them for Tui Lolohea.

 

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Huddersfield Giants outside back Innes Senior has extended his contract until the end of the 2024 season.

The 21-year-old has been ever-present for the Giants in Super League this season.

Senior came through the club's academy alongside his twin brother Louis and made his debut aged 17.

 

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Betfred Super League
Huddersfield (6) 17
Tries: Hewitt, I Senior 2 Goals: Lolohea 2 Drop goal: Cogger
Toulouse (12) 16
Tries: Ashall-Bott, Navarrete, Russell Goals: Hankinson 2

Jack Cogger's late drop-goal helped Huddersfield fight back to beat bottom side Toulouse and avoid a surprise defeat at the John Smith's Stadium.

Sam Hewitt cancelled out Olly Ashall-Bott's score, but Romain Navarrete gave Toulouse a 12-6 half-time lead.

Matty Russell went over for the French side before Innes Senior's try and Tui Lolohea's second goal made it 16-12.

Senior cracked the Toulouse resistance to level before Cogger's kick from 20 metres won it with three minutes left.

Fourth-placed Huddersfield head to Wembley on Saturday for the Challenge Cup final on the back of a fourth straight win, but it was tough on Toulouse who remain two points adrift at the bottom.

 

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Betfred Super League
Catalans (2) 14
Tries: Mourgue, Laguerre Goals: Tomkins 3
Huddersfield (18) 22
Tries: Leutele, O'Brien, McQueen 2 Goals: Pryce 3

Huddersfield Giants survived a late fightback from high-flying Catalans Dragons to move up to third in the Super League table.

The Giants, in their first match since the Challenge Cup final loss to Wigan, raced into an 18-2 half-time lead.

Catalans hit back after the break to reduce Huddersfield's lead to 18-14 with 25 minutes remaining.

But as the hosts pushed to complete an unlikely comeback, Chris McQueen's last-minute try confirmed the win.

As good as Catalans were in the second half, the Giants were even stronger in the first. Ricky Leutele was first to cross after four minutes before a Will Pryce penalty rounded off a fine start.


Adam O'Brien went over in the 24th minute, with McQueen making it a hat-trick of tries for Giants just before half-time, finishing off a fine team move.

After the break Catalans upped their tempo as Arthur Mourgue and Matthieu Laguerre crossed to add to Sam Tomkins' first-half penalty.

 

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Huddersfield Giants hooker Adam O'Brien has signed a new deal to keep him with the Super League club until the end of the 2024 season.

The 28-year-old has turned out 105 times for the Giants since joining from Bradford Bulls in 2017.

O'Brien has had an injury-hit couple of seasons, including a fractured vertebrae suffered in 2020.

 

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Betfred Super League
Huddersfield (10) 36
Tries: Russell, Senior (2), Cudjoe, Lolohea, Leutele, McQueen Goals: Russell 4
Castleford (4) 10
Tries: Eden, Mellor Goals: Richardson

Huddersfield Giants' second-half flurry of points saw off Castleford Tigers and kept up hopes of a Super League top-two place on a rain-soaked night.

They had to come from behind after Greg Eden's early score to lead, with Olly Russell and Louis Senior tries turning the scoreline around.

Alex Mellor squared it up after the break, but Giants then cut loose with Leroy Cudjoe and Tui Lolohea scores.

Ricky Leutele, Chris McQueen and Senior tries took the game away from Cas.

Ian Watson's side are just one point behind Wigan Warriors before their game on Friday against strugglers Toulouse.

After last week's defeat by Salford saw their defence unravelled by a superb go-for-broke attack, the onus was on the Giants to sharpen up, and they did against a Tigers side ravaged by injury and suspension.

Short kicking was their key weapon, as Russell was picked out by Lolohea's grubber, who in turn teed up Leutele for his finish, and pressure was built throughout via the tactic.

 

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Huddersfield second row Joe Greenwood has signed a new contract with the club until 2025.

The 29-year-old has made 48 appearances for the Giants since moving to the club from Wigan Warriors in 2021, scoring two tries.

 

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Betfred Super League
Huddersfield (10) 26
Tries: Halsall 2, Livett, Naiqama Goals: Connor 5
Catalans (8) 14
Tries: Johnstone, Laguerre Goals: Keighran 3

Huddersfield Giants ran in four tries to hand Catalans Dragons only their third Super League defeat of the season.

Young winger Sam Halsall ran in a brace, backed by tries from Harvey Livett and Kevin Naiqama as the hosts overturned an early first-half deficit.

Tom Johnstone's 10th try of the season helped Catalans earn that lead, and Matthieu Laguerre crossed after the break.

They were both improved by Adam Keighran, who also kicked a first-half penalty to put Catalans further in front after Halsall had cashed in on some slick handling to snatch his first Huddersfield try.

But Ian Watson's Giants sealed victory in the end in relative comfort.