With Wakefield Trinity patiently awaiting the winner in the next round, Huddersfield Giants and St Helens went toe-to-toe at the John Smiths Stadium.
It took eleven minutes for the first points of the game.
A repeat set for the Saints put the Giants on the back foot and Jonny Lomax threw a side pass to Regan Grace who dotted down in the corner for a 0-4 lead.
The lead lasted just few moments as Joe Wardle cruised through a gap in the Saints defence to score in his 200th career appearance.
Saints then pulled the scores back level with a penalty converted by Lachlan Coote.
Aaron Murphy then went over for the Giants to give the home side the lead. It didn’t come easy though
Louis Senior offloaded back inside to Murphy who powered over Coote and Lomax to score.
In the 35th minute, Saints put themselves two points in front once more as Regan Grace kicked the ball back in-field with Theo Fages touching the ball down.
It took until the 11th minute of the second half for a try to be scored as well.
HALF-TIME: Huddersfield Giants 10-12 St Helens
A Theo Fages kick was tapped backwards in the air towards Coote who dived over in the corner.
Coote failed to convert his own try as Saints led by six.
Wardle then grabbed his second try of the game after a marauding run through three Saints tacklers. Gaskell converted to level the scores with just over 20 minutes remaining.
Saints believed they had scored a few minutes later after the Giants, yet again, failed to handle a high Theo Fages kick.
Makinson tapped the ball down, which then ricocheted off the feet of Matty Lees and Kevin Naiqama was the quickest to react and dived on the loose ball.
Saints had the chance to move eight points clear in the 69th minute as Coote attempted to convert a penalty.
However, the full-back missed his kick at goal.
As the game drifted into the final ten minutes, both sides were still looking to force a try and take a grip of the game.
With 90 seconds of the game remaining, the Giants were tasked with going 100 metres to score.
A half-break from Adam O’Brien gave Huddersfield hope but a wild offload from Louis Senior allowed Morgan Knowles to dive on the loose ball and Saints saw the final seconds out.
The Saints will now face Wakefield Trinity on the weekend of June 1st and 2nd in the Coral Challenge Cup Quarter-Finals.
FULL-TIME: Huddersfield Giants 16-22 St Helens
Huddersfield Giants
Darnell McIntosh, Louis Senior, Jordan Turner, Aaron Murphy, Innes Senior, Lee Gaskell, Matt Frawley, Matty English, Adam O’Brien, Suaia Matagi, Joe Wardle, Alex Mellor, Paul Clough
Interchanges: Kruise Leeming, Oliver Roberts, Akuma Ta’ai, Sam Hewitt
Tries: Joe Wardle (2), Aaron Murphy
Goals: Lee Gaskell (2/3)
Drop-Goals:
St Helens
Lachlan Coote, Tommy Makinson, Kevin Naiqama, Matty Costello, Regan Grace, Jonny Lomax, Theo Fages, Alex Walmsley, James Roby, Matty Lees, Dominique Peyroux, Zab Taia, Morgan Knowles
Interchanges: Joseph Paulo, Kyle Amor, Jack Ashworth, Aaron Smith
Tries: Regan Grace, Theo Fages, Lachlan Coote, Kevin Naiqama.
Goals: Lachlan Coote (3/5)
Drop-Goals:
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