Walmsley Scores Double As Wakefield Edge Out Giants
22 February 2026
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Huddersfield (4) 16
Tries: Halsall, Flanagan 2 Goals: Flanagan 2
Tries: Scott, Walmsley 2, Nikotemo Goal: Jowitt
Wakefield Trinity got their Super League season up and running as two shots from Lachlan Walmsley offered them a breathless 18-16 success at Huddersfield Giants.
After their opening-day defeat in the house to Toulouse, Trinity came great on the roadway, holding on in a thrilling second half for a hard-earned win.
The crucial minute was Walmsley's interception for his second try, which opened up a gap Huddersfield were just not able to claw back in spite of two late shots from George Flanagan.
The defeat at the Accu Stadium left the Giants still winless after 2 games.
Centre Cam Scott opened the scoring with a 13th-minute shot for Wakefield as their extensive intent got its benefits with Daryl Powell's side offloading at every opportunity.
But a fantastic surface in the corner from Huddersfield winger Sam Halsall in the 24th minute brought the home side level.
However, a perfectly constructed try from Walmsley 8 minutes before the break provided Wakefield a half-time lead.
Tom Burgess was held up over the line as Huddersfield came out shooting at the start of the second half.
went close too with Matty Storton likewise held up over the line after a nice tip-on by Jazz Tevaga.
But a substantial play from Walmsley in the 55th minute enabled the visitors to extend their lead. The Scotland winger intercepted a pass and captured the ball off his foot before it hit the ground to race in unopposed. The video referee took a long take a look at the handling however ruled the shot was good.
When Jake Trueman put Kiwi back-row Seth Nikotemo in for Wakefield's 4th shot just after the hour it looked like they were in the clear.
However, two tries in rapid succession from Flanagan pulled them right back into the contest.
The Giants, 2 points down, had eight minutes to pull the video game out of the fire but Wakefield, with Max Jowitt impressive in defence, kept them at bay to liquidate the win.
'We can probably unwind a bit now' - response
"It was a strange one due to the fact that I do not think Lachlan thought he 'd scored it, however the video ref need to have seen conclusively that it was a shot.
"We started a bit gradually however the longer the game went on I thought we actually grew into it. It was admirable the way the young boys battled.
"I seemed like we were all over them in the 2nd half, and it felt like eventually we were going to score again.
"We most likely just weren't medical in particular locations. We arrange of forced it, so it was a bit naive on our part, however I was really pleased with the effort.
"It was heartbreaking truly. I'm down in the dumps we haven't won - and the manner of the loss as well - but at the exact same time it's only round 2 and we are still missing a great deal of crucial players.
"If we show the exact same character next week I believe we'll go alright."
Wakefield Trinity head coach Daryl Powell informed BBC Radio Leeds:
"I thought Lachlan had dropped it at first, I could not see, but he clearly gets his foot on the ball, so it's a clever bit of impulse play from him. Those sorts of impulse things are what he's truly proficient at.
"There was a little bit of luck - you need that sometimes. I don't think we had a lot recently, so it came in handy to have some today.
"I believed we looked anxious last week, most likely around expectations, around what we are and what we did in 2015, and I believed we fidgeted today once again - particularly around that tight period towards completion.
"We have actually got the monkey off our back with our first win of the season and can most likely relax a bit now.
"I thought we did enough without being great."
Huddersfield: Flanagan; Carr, Gagai, Milne, Halsall; Lolohea, Russell; Patolo, Woolford, Rogers, O'Donnell, Hewitt, Powell.
Interchanges: Burgess, King, Rush, Cozza.
Wakefield: Jowitt; Pratt, Scott, Hall, Walmsley; Trueman, Sinfield; McMeeken, Smoothy, Hamlin-Uele, Nikotemo, Vagana, Pitts.
Interchanges: Rodwell, Storton, Tevaga, Smith.