Giants growing in stature

Two clubs widely expected to struggle for points in Super League this season go into round five today with a new spring in their stride.

Wakefield and Huddersfield both had morale-boosting victories last week- end, the Wildcats winning in impressive fashion at Castleford and the Giants achieving arguably the most astonishing result since the inception of Super League by beating the champions, St Helens.

"It was good for the guys to get a win," said the Wakefield coach, Shane McNally. "But we've been pretty happy with the way we've been playing all season, so the result hasn't affected the way we look at it."

Wakefield played with tre-mendous verve and enthusiasm against their neighbours and will be all the stronger today for the expected return of their ball-handling prop Dallas Hood and underrated full-back Martyn Holland.

But they will face a Huddersfield side filled with new confidence. Like McNally, the Giants' coach, Tony Smith, was sanguine about his side's early results, claiming that it was only a matter of time before their improving rugby started to bring them victories.

He was proved right last Sunday, but in a way he could hardly have expected. For the promoted side, subjected to some heavy beatings, to extract their first victory at the expense of the champions and Super League favourites was the stuff of fantasy.

Saints' coach, Ian Millward, who might have been expected to be ready with a few suitable excuses, responded instead by praising Huddersfield as the best attacking side he had seen this season.

One way and another, they have much to live up to at Belle Vue today, and Smith knows that his squad is still not strong enough to see him through the season. Hence the decision to extend Alex Wilkinson's loan period from Bradford and to give the former Leeds, Halifax and Salford half-back Graham Holroyd a 10-day trial, starting tomorrow.

The other match of relevance to the foot of the table is at Widnes, who are the only side without a point so far this season. They meet Halifax, the side immediately above them.

Widnes, such a breath of fresh air in their first season in Super League last year, have been trying to shore up their heavily eroded squad, with the pursuit of Julian O'Neill as a much-needed stand-off and goal-kicker, and the signing for the rest of the season of Doncaster's experienced winger Marvin Golden.

The reason for the urgency is obvious. Defeat today would leave Widnes four points adrift of Halifax – many people's relegation bankers – and the Widnes coach, Neil Kelly, has told them that is a scenario they simply cannot afford.