The Catalans Dragons headed for Newcastle and the opening fixture of the Dacia Magic Weekend still reeling from last week’s horror cup exit at the hands of Hull FC. The Huddersfield Giants, on the other hand, took a week off to recuperate and plan how to topple their opponents.

The Dragons, Super League’s ninth placed side, needed a win to get back into the top eight while a Giant’s victory wouldn’t change their league position but would put them just one point behind todays opponents and two points off eighth spot.

It was a threadbare Giants side without talisman Danny Brough who was again serving a suspension, against a Dragons side with six changes from last week but welcoming back several of their first team choices. The bookies had the Dragons as slight favorites, but talk to any Giants fan and they were somewhat less optimistic.

Great hands and offloads, most notably from Greg Bird, gave Richie Myler the ball and he broke for the line, using a supporting player, before regaining possession close to the whitewash and going over. Luke Walsh added the conversion for 6-0, with five minutes on the clock.

The Giants opened their account on twelve when Lee Gaskell took a clever Kruise Leeming miss-out pass to drop over the line. Martin Ridyard, on loan from Leigh Centurions slid the conversion across the front of the sticks.

Both sides had opportunities over the next twenty-eight minutes but neither had the skill to fulfil the promise of the build-ups. The only other points of the half came on the hooter when Ridyard accepted the option of a penalty goal to send the sides into the break all square.

As they had in the first, the Dragons got the first score of the second on forty-seven when Ian Thornley took a Tony Gigot pass and walked over the top of the Giants defence. Walsh failed to goal from wide left.

On sixty-five Greg Bird rose above the Giants defence to take a Myler high ball and ground one-handed but after the on-field referee awarded the try, the video referee ruled it out for interference.

With nine minutes remaining Sam Rapira muscled his way to the line, carrying three tacklers with him, after the Giants had bombed multiple chances. Ridyard added the extras and seven minutes from time the Giants were two points ahead at 12-10.

Two minutes later and Adam O’Brien went over from acting half back on the Dragons line to snatch the points. Ridyards goal extended the lead to eight points at 18-10.

This was a dreadful dirge of a game with the Giants having a little more left in the tank to snatch the points in the last ten minutes. There were plenty of errors, a lack of finesse in attack, and some terrible defensive errors.

Both sides remain in the bottom four and on todays showing they fully deserve to be there.

Dragons: Gigot, Duport, Thornley (T), Inu, Yaha, Walsh (G), Myler (T), Moa, Aiton, Casty, Bousquet, Garcia, Bird. Subs: Perez, Simon, Da Costa, Dezaria.

Giants: Mamo, McGillvary, Cudjoe, Murphy, McIntosh, Gaskell (T), Ridyard (3G), Ikahihifo, Leeming, Wakeman, Ferguson, Mellor, Hinchcliffe. Subs: Rapira (T), Clough, O’Brien (T), Roberts.

Referee: Chris Campbell.

Half-Time: 6-6.

Full-Time: 10-18.

Attendance:.