Huddersfield (6) 16 Tries: Lawrence, Brown Goals: B Hodgson 4
Hull KR (12) 16 Tries: Murrell, Newton Goals: Dobson 4
 Hodgson will leave Giants at the end of the season for Warrington |
Huddersfield full-back Brett Hodgson kicked a last-minute penalty to sneak a draw against Hull KR at the Galpharm. Stand-off Scott Murrell stumbled over to open the visitors' account before Clint Newton put Rovers 12-0 in front. But Michael Lawrence crossed to get Giants off the mark, before Kevin Brown added another early in the second half. Two Michael Dobson kicks edged Rovers in front again but, after having two tries disallowed late on, Hodgson landed his fourth kick to draw level. After a dismal run of five successive away defeats, Hull looked set for a much-needed win before Hodgson's late intervention left them stunned. Huddersfield, who had won at Craven Park in February and also put Rovers out of the Challenge Cup in April, were chasing a third win over Justin Morgan's men this season. And they started brightly, Lawrence crossing in the opening minutes, only for it to be ruled out for an apparent knock-on. Hull took advantage when Murrell touched down, Dobson converting to put them 6-0 ahead. The visitors then began to dominate, adding a second try on 24 minutes when Ben Fisher's perfectly-timed pass sent Newton thundering over, Dawson adding the extras. Huddersfield steadied themselves, crawling back into the game when stand-off Brown's dummy engineered the space for Lawrence to touch down, Hodgson converting to halve the deficit. The home side almost scored within seconds of the restart when right winger Leroy Cudjoe went close. But they levelled nine minutes in when Brown collected possession and drove through the heart of the Rovers' defence to crash over for a try which Hodgson converted to level. Hodgson then landed a penalty to put his side ahead for the first time, only for Rovers to respond when Dobson landed two penalties in quick succession to put his side back in front. But, after Huddersfield had two scores ruled out by the video referee, Hodgson kicked from the left touchline top earn his side a share of the spoils.
Huddersfield coach Nathan Brown on Brett Hodgson: "Brett Hodgson is a quality player and his kicking under pressure at the end was terrific. "Players come and go and his departure is definitely a hole that needs to be filled, but I'm sure that the club can do that with the right people. Hull KR coach Justin Morgan said: "It's a bit of an anti-climax and feels a bit like going out and drinking non-alcoholic beer. "But in terms of performance it was fairly consistent for us. "We've still fallen off the cliff at certain stages in the game but we were okay. "The players in there are very disappointed and I think that shows some of the confidence we have built up over the last few weeks."
Huddersfield: B Hodgson, Cudjoe, Lolesi, Lawrence, D Hodgson, Brown, Brough, Griffin, Robinson, Mason, Gilmour, Finnigan, Wild. Replacements: Drew, Patrick, Horne, Faiumu. Hull KR: Cockayne, Fox, Welham, Ratu, Latus, Murrell, Dobson, Vella, Fisher, Clinton, Newton, Galea, Watts. Replacements: Wheeldon, Taylor, J Hodgson, Lovegrove. Referee: Phil Bentham (Warrington). Attendance: 6,304.
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