Wakefield 38-12 Huddersfield: Mason Lino shines as Trinity halt Giants revival
Wakefield turned on the style to halt Huddersfield’s revival with a crushing 38-12 win at the Mobile Rocket Stadium.
Half-back Mason Lino scored 14 of his side’s points with a 90-metre interception try and five goals from six attempts as Trinity followed up their first victory of the season over Hull KR a week earlier with a surprisingly comfortable seven-try rout.
The Giants went into the game on the back of a three-match winning run, but they sorely missed the creativity of injured full-back Lee Gaskell and failed to breach a superbly-drilled Trinity defence until grabbing two consolation tries in the last three minutes.
Skipper Jacob Miller, who played a key role in his side’s win over Hull KR on his return from injury, set the ball rolling when he produced a cut-out pass to get left winger Liam Kay over for the first of his two tries after five minutes.
Miller blotted his copybook 10 minutes later when a professional foul on his opposite number Aiden Sezer earned him a spell in the sin bin, but the Giants failed to make their numerical advantage count.
Sezer produced his side’s only break in the first half and, although second rower Kenny Edwards had a try disallowed for a forward pass, Trinity generally had little difficulty dealing with Huddersfield’s stuttering attack.
Prop Kelepi Tanginoa scored from short range against the run of play to double Wakefield’s lead midway through the first half and that got them on a roll.
Huddersfield forward Josh Jones hobbled off after 24 minutes and a fumble by makeshift full-back Darnell McIntosh – on the 100th appearance of his career – ensured his side stayed on the back foot and created the position for loose forward Joe Westerman to show his class.
His short pass sent second-rower Jay Pitts over for Trinity’s third try, and three minutes later he twisted and turned out of a three-man tackle near the line to register the 99th score of his career.
The highlight of the match came on the stroke of half-time when substitute prop David Fifita refused to be tackled on halfway, creating the space for centre Reece Lyne to kick ahead for Bill Tupou to mark his 200th career appearance with a spectacular try.
Trailing 30-0 at the break, Huddersfield showed more urgency in the second half and replacement hooker Adam O’Brien was twice held up over the line.
Wakefield were unable to maintain their first-half flair and their only other scores both came from Huddersfield errors.
Right winger Lee Kershaw scooped up the loose ball 10 metres from his own line and Trinity kept the ball alive for Kay to go over for his second try, while Lino intercepted a stray pass near his own line to sprint nearly the full length of the pitch for his side’s seventh try.
Huddersfield were a badly-beaten side, but their persistence paid off in the closing stages when prop James Gavet plunged over from close range and centre Jake Wardle crossed out wide.
Wakefield: Jowitt, Kershaw, Lyne, Tupou, Kay, Miller, Lino, Tanginoa, Walker, Arona, Pitts, Ashurst, Westerman. Subs: Fifita, Battye, Wood, Batchelor.
Tries: Kay 2, Tanginoa, Pitts, Westerman, Tupou, Lino. Goals: Lino 5
Huddersfield: McIntosh, McGillvary, Wardle, Leutele, Cudjoe, Sezer, Cogger, Greenwood, Cunningham, Gavet, Edwards, Jones, Lawrence. Subs: O’Brien, Trout, English, McQueen.
Tries: Gavet, Gaskell. Goals: Sezer 2
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