At some point the fortunes of the Huddersfield Giants were
destined to change after they had started the season with six straight losses
to Super League 2025 and those rolling up to the John Smiths Stadium this
afternoon were hoping that the reversal of fortunes would come against the
Catalans Dragon in round seven.

The visitors were firm favourites with the bookies despite
being without the services of Sam Tomkins who is being rested after playing
through the pain barrier in last weekend’s win over the Salford Red Devils.

The last win for the Giants over the Dragons was exactly a
year ago when they triumphed by 34-6 in the quarter finals of the Challenge
Cup, the Dragons winning both league encounters in 2024.

Huddersfield’s injury crisis worsened with just four minutes
in the clock as Fenton Rogers was assisted from the field with a serious
looking injury.

After some good Huddersfield pressure, they finally took the
lead on sixteen when Jacob Gagai stepped out of two tackles, regained his feet twice,
and went over the line to ground. Liam Sutcliffe added the conversion, the
underdogs into an early lead.

Four minutes later the Dragons responded as Tariq Sims collected
a grubber kick as it bounced perfectly into his stride for a walk-in try. Guillermo
Aispuro-Bichet put his conversion between the uprights to level the scores.

The Dragons edged in front on thirty-three with a planned
move as Leo Darrelatour took an Aispuro-Bichet pass to come inside his tackler
and leap, full length, for the line. San Hewitt put the knee in on the scorer
and was sin-binned, the referee awarding a potential eight point try. Aispuro-Bichet
was wide with the touchline conversion but kicked the penalty from under the
sticks for a 12-6 lead.

An Aispuro-Bichet penalty goal after a high tackle, with a
couple of minutes of the half remainin,g extended the Dragons lead to eight
points.

Just seventy seconds of the second half had elapsed when Julian
Bousquet collected a Theo Fages high kick as the Giants defence flapped at the
high ball, the forward with a simple walk-in try. Aispuro-Bichet added the conversion,
and the Giants were now three tries behind.

The second half floodgates were open on forty-five when
Ollie Partington put Bayley Sironen through a gap to score from twenty metres
out. Aispuro-Bichet hit the mark again, the points now in the bag for the Dragons,
the Giants seemingly with no answer.

In fifty there was some joy for the home side as Jake Bibby finished
after collecting a George Flanagan kick to the corner. Sutcliffe added the
conversion from wide.

Any thoughts of a fightback were soon extinguished when on
fifty-seven Paul Seguier took an inside pass to go in by the left upright. Aispuro-Bichet
added a sixth goal of the afternoon.

Strength from Sam Halsall was rewarded with a sixty-sixth
minute consolation as he jumped to take a pinpoint Flanagan kick to the corner
and drop over the line. Sutcliffe added the extras again, brilliantly from the
touchline.

The final try of the game came on seventy-seven as Tevita
Pangai Junior muscled his way over the line for the sixth Dragons four pointer
of the game. Aispuro-Bichet was on target again for a final score of 38-18, a comfortable
twenty point victory.

All credit to the Giants who never threw in the towel, but
they were no match for a struggling Catalans Giants who did enough to take a
crucial two points and condemn their hosts to a seventh successive loss at the
start of the 2025 season. The win does nothing for the Dragons league position,
but it does lift them four points clear of the bottom three.

Huddersfield Giants: McGowan, Carr, Sutcliffe (G 3/3), Bibby
Jake (T), Halsall (T), Gagai (T), Flanagan, Rogers, Golding, Burgess, Hewitt
(SB on 33), Greenwood, Cudjoe. Subs: Leyland, Milne, Bibby Jack, Billington. 18^th
Man: Deakin.

Catalans Dragons: Aispuro-Bichet (G 7/, Makinson, Romano,
Smith, Darrelatour (T), Keary, Fages, Pangai Junior (T), Da Costa, Garcia, Sims
(T), Sironen (T), Partington. Subs: Bousquet (T), Satae, Seguier (T), Laguerre.
18^th Man: Rouge.

Half-Time: 6-14.

Full-Time: 18-38.  

Score Progression: 4-0, 6-0, 6-4, 6-6, 6-10, (SB), 6-12, 6-14
:  HT: 6-18, 6-20, 6-24, 6-26, 10-26, 12-26,
12-30, 12-32, 16-32, 18-32, 18-36, 18-38 :FT.

Lead Exchanges: Huddersfield – Square - Catalans.

Referee: Liam Moore.