Wakefield snatch last-gasp win after Russell's drop-goal drama

Wakefield Trinity secured a dramatic 29-23 victory over Huddersfield Giants in Betfred Super League action after Josh Rourke’s 80th-minute interception try overturned Olly Russell’s drop-goal equaliser. The hosts had led 16-12 at half-time through tries from Tom Johnstone and Mike McMeeken, but Jacob Gagai and Cole Geyer responded for the visitors before Jack Sinfield restored Trinity’s advantage. Asher O’Donnell’s try after the restart and Adam Swift’s equaliser forced Wakefield to chase a late winner, only for Russell’s long-range effort to level the scores with one minute remaining. Rourke’s decisive steal from Russell’s pass sealed a nervy triumph that lifted Wakefield to fourth in the table.

Wakefield started brightly, with Johnstone’s early try extended by McMeeken’s second before Gagai and Geyer crossed within four minutes to give Huddersfield a 12-10 lead. Sinfield’s first Super League try since joining from Leeds in the off-season restored Trinity’s lead, but O’Donnell powered over just after the break following Russell’s 40/20 restart. Max Jowitt’s penalty after a high shot on McMeeken levelled the match at 22-22, before Rourke’s solo effort put Wakefield back in front.

Swift’s try, converted by Flanagan Jr, forced the scores level once more, with Sinfield’s drop-goal and Russell’s long-range effort trading blows in the final minutes. The visitors’ nine-game winless run continued as Rourke’s interception try in the 80th minute settled the contest. Huddersfield remain four points adrift at the bottom of the table, while Wakefield moved level on points with Wigan and St Helens.

Daryl Powell, Wakefield’s head coach, admitted his side’s performance lacked cohesion despite the win. “It was a win but not an enjoyable one,” he told BBC Radio Leeds. “We started great and I thought we lost control of the game a little bit. The game changed completely in the space of four or five minutes.” Powell added that his players needed to improve their confidence, stating, “Two points but we’ll have to improve.”

Huddersfield’s head coach Jim Lenihan praised his side’s character despite the defeat. “We all live together and we all die together,” he said of Russell’s drop-goal. “We’ve got to back our ball players and make sure they’re playing their game for us and unfortunately it didn’t work out for us this time.” Lenihan emphasised the long-term process, saying, “Whether we won today it didn’t really matter. We’re on a journey of building a football club and a football team and all of this is part of that.”