Huddersfield Giants 26 Saints 44

EIGHT-try Saints duly completed their first double of the season in this Bank Holiday points spree at the McAlpine Stadium -- but they paid a heavy price!

For the world club champions had scrum-half and goalkicker Sean Long stretchered off in the 10th minute with a serious knee injury following a tackle by Brandon Costin, who was sin-binned and placed on report.

Fears that Longy had broken a leg happily proved unfounded and he returned to the bench on crutches, with the early diagnosis being ligament damage, which could sideline him for several weeks.

However, a Saints side that had drawn level after an early 6-0 deficit continued to buckle down in face of a strong Huddersfield challenge, which nonetheless brought Super League's basement club five tries.

This spoke volumes for the determination of a team who had lost all 11 games and had never beaten Saints in that competition. It also placed a further question mark alongside the visitors' points against column.

But from an attacking standpoint -- and given any disruption caused by the departure of Long -- Millward's men remained in control, and it is fair to say that Huddersfield rarely threatened to mount a giant-killing act.

Midfield organiser and stand-in goalkicker Paul Sculthorpe took the man-of the match award with two tries and five goals, while the incredible Keiron Cunningham and equally strong-running Paul Newlove also crossed the Huddersfield line twice.

Newy's brace also saw him enter the code's elite top 20 try scorers with 328 while, still on plaudits, there was yet another magnificent defensive performance from Paul Wellens, whose last-ditch tackling saved Saints on at least four occasions.

A balmy night and firm pitch greeted the teams, and Huddersfield were first out of the blocks with a penalty from Steve McNamara, who followed this with a cross-kick to the corner which saw Andrew Frew score his 11th try of the campaign after out-jumping Anthony Sullivan.

Sculthorpe's convincing dummy and Long's conversion put Saints on terms and, after Sean had left the action, Scully staged an action replay of his early sortie and added the goal to give his side a 12-6 lead.

A wayward McNamara pass 40 yards out cost Giants another six points via a Newlove interception and Scully conversion, and when Cunningham plunged over from short range the omens were ominous for the home team with 30 minutes on the clock.

But Huddersfield clawed their way back into contention on half-time when Chris Thorman swooped on a dropped pass by Kevin Iro to race in the corner and leave Giants just 22-10 in arrears, with the prospect of a swirling wind at their backs later.

And they inched even closer to Saints when, after brilliant handling, full-back Graham Appo went under the posts for McNamara to tack on the goal, only for the visitors to respond immediately when Cunningham took four Giants over for Sculthorpe to convert.

Newlove then broke away in superb manner to score from 30 yards, but the Claret and Gold reduced the margin yet again when prop-forward Dale Laughton thundered in from 40 yards with McDermott's goal meaning Saints led 32-22 on 64 minutes.

Promising prop Mark Edmondson then dummied his way over for Sculthorpe to add the conversion, and the tit-for-tat scoring pattern continued unabated when Huddersfield's Dale Cardoza chipped through to cross Saints' line.

The final act in what had been an entertaining, if error-strewn game, came when stand-off-cum-full-back-cum-scrum-half Wellens raced between the posts from a scrum 30 yards out for Sculthorpe to land his final goal.

To summarise, it might be said that Saints will regard this as a notable victory given the lengthening injury list, while success surely can't be far away for the Giants on the evidence of the spirit they displayed here.

How they lined up

Huddersfield Giants: Appo; Frew, Cardoza, Costin, Gleeson; Thorman, Kusto; Laughton, Rowley, Marshall, Lomax, Atkins, McNamara. Substitutes: Cooper, Slicker, Molyneux, Molloy.

Saints: Stewart; Hoppe, Iro, Newlove, Sullivan; Wellens, Long; Edmondson, Cunningham, Fairleigh, Shiels, Joynt, Sculthorpe. Substitutes: Jonkers, Matautia, Hall, Cruckshank.

Referee: Ian Smith. Attendance: 3,559.