St Helens are back on top of the Super League table after holding off a spirited second-half fightback from bottom-placed Huddersfield Giants. The win, their ninth in 11 league matches this season, puts them two points clear of Leeds Rhinos—though Leeds can reclaim the lead if they beat Wigan Warriors on Friday.

Just five days after a disappointing 32-0 Challenge Cup semi-final defeat to rivals Wigan, Saints showed their resilience with a commanding first-half performance. Four tries before the break—from Harry Robertson, Lewis Murphy, Owen Dagnall, and George Delaney—had the visitors cruising at 24-0. Huddersfield, plagued by errors and poor discipline, were booed off by their own fans at halftime.

But the Giants came out a different team after the interval. Asher O'Donnell sparked the comeback, followed by tries from Adam Swift and Niall Evalds, suddenly putting Saints under serious pressure. A Jackson Hastings penalty proved crucial, giving St Helens just enough breathing room to withstand the Giants' surge.

The match started explosively for Saints, with Jack Welsby slicing through a massive gap to set up Robertson's try inside the first 10 minutes. Moments later, a handling error from Huddersfield's Lewis Jagger allowed Murphy to score in the corner. Dagnall then collected Welsby's pass to dive over, and just before halftime, another Huddersfield mistake—Tui Lolohea sending a goal-line dropout out on the full—led to Delaney's try.

For Huddersfield, newly appointed head coach Jim Lenihan—a former player for the club—is expected to arrive from Australia early next week. His players will take heart from their much-improved second half, even if the damage was already done. The Giants have now lost four straight Super League games, but this performance showed signs of the fight Lenihan will hope to build on.