Huddersfield Giants moved to within 80 minutes of the Super League Grand Final courtesy of a record-breaking 76-18 win over Hull FC in the playoff's preliminary semi-finals this evening.
The Giants raced into a 54-6 lead at half time, with Luke Robinson stealing the show with four tries inside the first half.
Hull improved in the second half but the result was already beyond doubt, with the Giants going on to break the record for points scored in a playoff match while also condemning Hull to their biggest ever defeat.
You can read how an historic night unfolded at the John Smith's Stadium with Sports Mole's live coverage below.
Good evening! Thank you very much for joining Sports Mole for tonight's huge Super League clash between Huddersfield Giants and Hull FC. It will be the end of the line for one of these teams tonight, while the other will be 80 minutes away from next month's Grand Final.
Our hosts tonight will be fairly disappointed at having to play in tonight's match. They had an opportunity to bypass this stage and go straight into the qualifying semi-finals when they took on Wigan in the first playoff match last week, but they were unable to overcome the Warriors in some terrible conditions.
Their 22-8 defeat will be particularly disappointing for them as they had the chance to have home advantage all the way through to the Grand Final but, while they will play at the John Smith's Stadium tonight, should they progress then they will be forced to play away against either Wigan or Warrington.
What the Wigan match did show was that Huddersfield lack experience at this stage compared to some of the other teams in the competition. This will be Huddersfield's 10th appearance in the playoffs, and they have won just two matches in that time. They will need to improve that record significantly if they are to claim their first ever Super League title this season.
What they will look to rely on tonight is the sort of form that they showed during the regular season. They topped the table for the first time in the Super League era, holding off a strong challenge from Warrington to take the League Shield by one point. They were also the top scorers in the regular season, notching 851 points.
They come into today's match having lost two games in a row for the first time since March of this year, but they have the players capable of turning that form around. Five of their side were named in the Super League dream team this season, while inspirational captain Danny Brough has also been nominated for the Man of Steel award having also won it last season.
Those five players were Leroy Cudjoe, Shaun Lunt, Eorl Crabtree, Brett Ferres and Brough. Of those players, Brough will be the one who poses most problems for Hull tonight. He wasn't at his best in the adverse weather conditions against Wigan but still managed to score a brilliant solo try. He was the top scorer during the regular season, notching up 281 points all by himself, while he was also a creative force with 30 assists, a tally that put him second in the league.
Hull have dangerous players of their own, however. They also had two men named in the Super League dream team - Tom Lineham and Ben Crooks - and their confidence will be high having proved themselves to be effective in knockout games so far this season.
Never was that more evident than in their Challenge Cup run, which saw them get all the way to the Wembley final to face Wigan. It was another poor day in terms of weather and Hull really struggled, losing 16-0 to bring a disappointing end to an exciting run for the black and whites.
They also needed to win a playoff match to reach this stage, beating Catalans Dragons 14-4 last Friday in another match impacted by the poor weather. Hull's defence on that day was magnificent, and they will be hoping for that to form the basis of any victory this evening.
Peter Gentle's side finished the season in sixth place with 28 points, leaving them 14 points behind league-leaders Huddersfield. That gap is enough to show why the Giants go into this game as fairly comfortable favourites, but Hull are certainly not make it easy for the hosts tonight. To beat Hull, you have to break through their defence, and that is a lot easier said than done.
Hull will also come into this match full of confidence. While two consecutive losses marks one of the worst runs of form of Huddersfield's season, Hull have lost just one of their last seven Super League matches. They will know that they will be up against it tonight, but the momentum built from such a run of form were certainly have them believing that they can progress tonight.
Huddersfield do edge the head-to-head record between these two sides so far this season. They have met twice, and both times the Giants came out on top. In the first match between the two, which took place here at the John Smith's Stadium, Huddersfield ran out 24-10 victors, while the return fixture saw the Giants win 22-16.
Hull are boosted by the return of prop Andy Lynch from injury, however. Having also seen captain Gareth Ellis come back last week, those two should give the visitors a big boost this evening. Huddersfield, meanwhile, have opted to stick with the same squad that lost to Wigan last Thursday.
A reminder that the winners of this match will face either Wigan Warriors or Warrington Wolves in the semi-finals next week, while the losers will be eliminated. The other preliminary semi, which takes place tomorrow, pits Leeds Rhinos against St Helens. You will be able to follow that live on Sports Mole too.
We're nearing kickoff at the John Smith's Stadium now, and what a huge 80 minutes it is ahead of us. By the end of play tonight one of these teams will be on their holidays, while the other will be one game away from the Grand Final. Huddersfield had a second chance last week, but it is last chance saloon now.
KICKOFF: Hull FC kick us off so Huddersfield will have the first possession as they look to avoid becoming the first regular season champions to fail to reach the semi-finals.
TRY! Leroy Cudjoe (Huddersfield Giants)
Wow, what a start from the hosts! It is two Dream Team members who are vital parts of this try, with Lunt making a fine early break to take his side far up the field before finally being tackled. It is then worked out to the right wing, and Cudjoe is there to stroll over the line. The kick is also successful, so it is an early 6-0 lead for Huddersfield.
Hull have their first possession of their game, getting the ball just inside their own 20-metre line. The Huddersfield defence is strong and prevents them getting out of their own half before having to kick back to the hosts.
Huddersfield get a penalty for a high tackle from Ellis and they will kick towards the corner. They have a really good chance to add to their lead here.
TRY! Luke Robinson (Huddersfield Giants)
This is a blistering start from the hosts. Danny Brough is the architect this time round with a lovely little kick behind the defence that bounces up nicely for Robinson, who has a simple run over the line to touch it down for another four points. Brough adds a couple more, and this match is getting away from Hull already.
It's not all going Huddersfield's way after all. Crabtree takes his eye off the ball and drops a pass, gifting Hull the ball back inside the hosts' half. Can they make anything of their best chance of the game so far?
TRY! Scott Grix (Huddersfield Giants)
That is an emphatic no to the question! I think it is Westerman who loses the ball in the tackle deep inside the Huddersfield half, and the hosts take full advantage. Grix eventually gets the ball on the left wing and shows his pace to race away from the chasing defence to add a third try already. Brough's kick is very impressive, and it is now 18-0.
What a start this has been for Huddersfield. Brough lifts a high kick towards Shaul, who drops it behind to concede a goal line dropout. It is just complete domination from the hosts at the moment.
TRY! Luke Robinson (Huddersfield Giants)
That could be game over already. Robinson makes a mockery of the Hull defence that was so impressive last week, finding a gap which didn't appear to be there before showing good strength to get over the line with three Hull players tackling him. That is his 100th try of his career.
Hull have the ball after a turnover, and they really need to make the most of it this time. Even at this early stage, they need to take full advantage of whenever they have possession as they simply aren't getting it very often. Huddersfield have had four times as much of the ball in the opening 15 minutes.
Good defence from the Giants as Hull threaten to go over in the corner through Jason Crooks. The winger looks to have a a bit of space to work with, but it is quickly closed down and he is pushed out of play.
Ellis has his second high tackle of the match which gives Huddersfield another penalty. They kick it again to put themselves in a very good position to build another attack. Hull's defence just can't cope at the moment.
This time they are unable to take advantage of their good position as Robinson throws a forward pass to gift the ball back to Hull.
Hull give the ball away almost immediately - they really aren't helping themselves here. Huddersfield go over in the corner through Murphy, who got on the end of a kick to touch down. It will go to the video ref with a question over offside.
TRY! Aaron Murphy (Huddersfield Giants)
Well, I must say I wasn't expecting that to be given. It looked like Murphy was offside when the ball was kicked, but the video ref has a few looks at it before moving on to the grounding, where there are no problems, and awarding the try. Brough is as faultless as ever with the kick, and it is 30-0 already.
TRY! Scott Grix (Huddersfield Giants)
My word, this is getting incredibly embarrassing for Hull, who seem to have given up already. Cudjoe eases past a couple of tackles before throwing a simple pass inside to Grix for yet another try. That is far too easy - where on earth is the defence that was so impressive last week. This is a massacre.
Danny Brough, needless to say, added the extra two points and it is a notable kick for the captain as he equals the club record of 147 goals in a season. That record has stood since 1919-20, so it is no mean feat.
TRY! Jamie Shaul (Hull FC)
A fabulous kick, and a big stroke of luck, gives Hull their first points of the match. The high kick bounced off the top of the post pads, which took it away from the defence and allowed Jamie Shaul to get his second try of the playoffs so far.
Luck like that doesn't usually go your way when you're playing as badly as Hull are today. Perhaps this could be a sign in a change of fortunes for them? If so, they still have a lot to do from here.
Ouch! That looked like a nasty injury on Ta'ai as he leg bent horribly in a tackle. His knee and ankle both seem to crumple there, and he is in a serious amount of pain.
Well, Ta'ai is made of sterner stuff than most men. After some brief treatment he is back up and running and making tackles as if that injury never happened!
TRY! Luke Robinson (Huddersfield Giants)
That is the hat-trick for Robinson, and again Brough is the creator. He sends a kick through and it lands nicely for Robinson, who outjumps two defenders to pick up an easy try.
TRY! Shaun Lunt (Huddersfield Giants)
The Giants are just getting through at will at the moment. It is another simple, simple play that sees Wardle break, and he draws the full-back before playing a pass to Lunt, who catches it with one hand before touching down.
Brough got those last two kicks, by the way, which means that he has now scored more goals in a single Huddersfield season than any other player in their history. What a year he has had, and if he carries on like this in the rest of the playoffs then the Man of Steel award may well be his again.
TRY! Luke Robinson (Huddersfield Giants)
This is simple dreadful from Hull's defence at the moment. They have had a woeful night so far, and this is the nadir so far. Brough kicks it through and none of the three defenders in attendance seem to want to pick the ball up, all waiting for each other to get it which allows Brough to kick it on again. Robinson then shows more desire to reach the ball in the goal area to pick up his fourth try of the first half.
HALF TIME: Huddersfield Giants 54-6 Hull FC
My word, you will do well to see a more one-sided half of Super League rugby than that.
The Huddersfield Giants have dominated this one from start to finish and it says something that their 54-6 lead doesn't flatter them at all. It has been try after try, with the hosts scoring on almost every possession. The match was over as a contest within 20 minutes, and Hull look like they are merely waiting for the final whistle already.
The stars of the show have been Danny Brough and Luke Robinson so far. Brough is showing exactly why he is most people's favourite to pick up a second consecutive Man of Steel award with a magnificent kicking display that has set up a number of tries and seen him keep up a 100% goal kicking record.
Robinson, meanwhile, has picked up four tries already and is just one away from equalling the playoff record for a single match. He has been helped by some pretty poor defensive work from Hull, but he has still got into all of the good positions and will hope to break that record this evening. The way things are going, it would be a surprise if he didn't.
The less said about Hull from that half the better. Peter Gentle will have been embarrassed watching his side so far, and there isn't much he will be able to say to his players at half time. I suspect that they won't be some softly spoken words whatever he says, but the only option for Hull now is to restore a little pride in the second half.
He will be at a loss to explain why his side have been as poor as they have. Their defence was superb against Catalans Dragons last week as they prevented the French side from scoring a single try, but it has been truly woeful so far today.
In addition to their shocking defence, they haven't looked like scoring either. Their one try of the match came in incredibly fortuitous circumstances as the ball bounced back off the top of the post protectors.
KICKOFF: Huddersfield get the second half underway, and Hull have their hands on the ball now, which I haven't been able to say many times this evening. It is all about pride for the visitors now.
This is better from Hull. They get an early penalty and move into their best position of the match so far as they are halted within a couple of yards of the Huddersfield line before being awarded a penalty for offside.
The chance comes to nothing for Hull as Horne tries to flick an offload out from the back of his hand, but it is too high for Crooks and goes out of play.
Shaul runs straight into McGillvary and goes down in a heap under a heavy tackle. It was a fair one from McGillvary, and Shaul is still writhing about in agony on the floor so play will stop here.
Indeed, Shaul won't be able to continue as he is helped off the field with a knee injury. Yet another blow on what is turning into a disastrous night for the visitors.
Hull's defence has been a lot better so far in this second half, but there is still Brough pulling the strings, and any defence would struggle to deal with him on this form. He knocks a kick over and Grix looks ready to get on the end of it, but the bounce is against him and Hull get the ball back.
Well, Hull have made a decent enough start to the second half considering how the first half went. Still no points in this half for either side so far, and Hull's defence is looking more like the one we saw last week now.
TRY! Leroy Cudjoe (Huddersfield Giants)
Just as I start praising the Hull defence, they make some basic errors. Robinson is not the biggest player but he bursts through two tackles before offloading it to Chan, who stays on his feet for a long time before starting a move down the line that Cudjoe finishes off by stretching over the line.
Brough's kick means that he has now equalled the record amount of points in a single season for Huddersfield, while he has also equalled the record for the amount of goals kicked in a playoff match. You feel that he may go on to break both tonight.
TRY! Tom Briscoe (Hull FC)
A rare highlight for Hull as they get their second try of the match. They work it out to the right wing before passig it back inside and sending a kick through. Robinson's first mistake of the match sees him punch the ball right back to Hull, who work it out to the left where Briscoe is in plenty of space. He cuts inside to go over the line, and Tickle adds the extra points.
This is a lot better from Hull's attack now. They make another promising break down the left while Cudjoe gets a hand to an attempted offload which resets the tackle count. Hull have a good chance to add a third try here.
They did have a good chance, but a forward pass three yards from the line wastes that. There have just been so many schoolboy errors from Hull tonight.
Yet another simple error as a pass is behind Horne, who knocks it on in an attempt to catch the ball. Huddersfield have the ball back just inside their own half.
This match is getting very scrappy at the moment - even Huddersfield are making a couple of unforced errors. Hull's performance in the second half has been better, but they are still not playing well by any stretch of the imagination.
Big hit from Robinson as he rushes out of the line to make an early tackle deep inside the Hull half. The visitors are forced to kick having made just one metre on that latest set of tackles. That is superb defence from Huddersfield high up the pitch.
Having seen the best of their attack in the first half, Paul Anderson is getting a chance to see his side's defence a bit more in this second half. He will be pleased with what he has seen in the last five minutes or so as his side are defending high up the pitch with some big hits.
TRY! Tom Briscoe (Hull FC)
That is poor defending from McGillvary there. He allows Briscoe to collect a high kick in the corner, hoping to push him into touch once he is in possession. He misjudges it, however, and Briscoe is over the line before he can make the tackle. That is Briscoe's 100th career try.
Murphy collects a high kick before beating two players and eventually being brought down for Huddersfield. The Giants will want to add a few more scores here - they are losing the second half at the moment.
TRY! Shaun Lunt (Huddersfield Giants)
One more try for Huddersfield, and it is simple rugby for the hosts as they just play it through the hands. It is passed out to the wing before a two-on-one situation sees the ball given back inside to Lunt, who goes over for his second try of the match.
TRY! Brett Ferres (Huddersfield Giants)
Patrick makes a break and chooses to go on his own despite support on the inside. He should have passed it but gets a lucky break as Horne knocks the ball out of his hands during an attempted offload. Ferres picks up the loose ball and strolls over the line for another try.
Oh, Brough's performance won't quite be perfect as he misses the kick - his first miss tonight. The fans sarcastically boo their skipper before making sure that he knows that it was a joke with a big round of applause. He has certainly deserved it today.
Brough sends a lovely little kick through with the outside of his boot and it is inch-perfect, holding up just before the dead ball line forcing the defender to shovel it behind.
TRY! Craig Kopczak (Huddersfield Giants)
The cherry on the icing on the cake is added by Kopczak, who collects a brilliant offload from Robinson to go over from close range. That is the record for points scored in a Super League playoff, while Brough's kick means that it is the most points ever conceded by Hull in a game.
FULL TIME: Huddersfield Giants 76-18 Hull FC
Well, who saw that coming? It is a record breaking night for Huddersfield as they thrash Hull FC by 58 points to move within 80 minutes of the Grand Final. It was one-way traffic from the beginning to the end, and Hull's 2013 season ends in embarrassing fashion.
Danny Brough and Luke Robinson were the main protagonists tonight. Robinson scored four tries, all of which came in the first half, while Brough only missed one kick and conducted that one-way traffic throughout with a superb display.
Huddersfield's 76 points is the biggest scoreline in playoff history, beating the 71 scored by Bradford in 2005, which also came against Hull. Hull's previous most points conceded was 74 at the hands of St Helens in 1999, so that is another unwanted record for them tonight.
The Giants have certainly sent a message out to the other teams still in the playoffs now. Warrington have the team call, but they will have second thoughts about selecting Huddersfield after this performance. Hull's defence made it easy for the hosts at times, but take nothing away from their attacking prowess this evening - very few teams would have been able to cope with the Giants today.
Hull will be devastated that their season has ended like this, but it is fair to say that they are better team than what they showed this evening. Huddersfield came into the match as strong favourites, but no-one would have expected them to win by such a big margin.
Right, that is is from me tonight. Thank you very much for joining Sports Mole for a historic night of playoff rugby as Huddersfield Giants cruised to a record-breaking 76-18 win over Hull FC. Be sure to stick around for the match report and any reaction, which will be on site shortly, while we also have the second preliminary playoff for you tomorrow night. Until then, though, it is goodbye!
Written by
Barney Corkhill
Barney Corkhill
