Giants switch focus to league battle

Huddersfield Giants captain Chris Thorman insists his side will take the positives from their Powergen Challenge Cup defeat and use them in the fight to avoid relegation.

The Yorkshiremen, beaten 42-12 at Twickenham by title favourites St Helens, are just two points above Wakefield Trinity Wildcats with three matches left of the regular engage Super League campaign.

While Wakefield face Saints on Friday night, Huddersfield?s next match is on Sunday against Salford City Reds, who need two more points to clinch a first-ever play-off spot.

?We?ve spoken about that already,? said Thorman. ?Hopefully in the next three games teams will feel a backlash from us because there were a lot of disappointed players in the dressing room.

?We still have an awful lot to fight for so there will be no resting on our laurels. We want to finish the season on a high with three wins.?

Huddersfield threatened to spring the biggest shock since Sheffield Eagles defeated Wigan Warriors in 1999 and lift the trophy for the first time for 53 years when they set off at a ferocious pace.

The stunned Saints with their aggressive defence and deservedly went in front after only five minutes when the impressive Brad Drew carved out a try for winger Martin Aspinwall.

They were still in touch at 12-6 at half-time but the signs of fatigue had already begun to show and they were blitzed in the second half.

?We went there to win it and I guess it was going to plan in the first half, although we didn?t really dominate field position,? said Thorman.

?But we were right in with a shout at half-time. The talk was good in the dressing room and we were so positive.

?But we didn?t follow the plan. We dropped the ball in key areas and a good side like St Helens will punish you.

?We really had to work too hard in the first half and they ran away with it in the second half. We had done too much defending in our red zone.?

Thorman showed no sign of the hamstring injury that made him a major doubt but he admitted to being affected by nerves in the build-up to his finest hour.

?I was very nervous ahead of my first Challenge Cup final,? he said. ?I didn?t eat a lot and my energy levels weren?t very high. I spewed my breakfast up and didn?t eat for the rest of the day. I just couldn?t keep anything down.

?The build-up was awesome and it was just a wonderful atmosphere but we came here to win and we?re very disappointed.

?But it?s only going to spur us on and make us more hungry. I?m not happy with that. I?ll come back a bigger, better stronger person and hopefully get to another final soon.?

Source: superleague.co.uk