Wigan Warriors stunned by Huddersfield Giants in first defeat of 2026 campaign
Wigan Warriors suffered their first defeat of the 2026 season as Huddersfield Giants produced a shock 34-16 victory at the Brick Community Stadium to claim their first win of the campaign.
Matt Peet’s side went into the contest top of the table and unbeaten, but were undone by a clinical Huddersfield performance that punished errors and capitalised on key moments.
Wigan thought they had made the perfect start when Liam Farrell crossed after 11 minutes, only for the effort to be ruled out by the video referee for offside from Harry Smith’s kick.
At the other end, Adam Clune looked certain to open the scoring soon after, but a superb try-saving tackle from young fullback Noah Hodkinson kept the scores level in the early stages.
The breakthrough came in the 20th minute when Jacob Gagai forced his way over out wide to give Huddersfield the lead, although Tanguy Zenon was unable to add the extras.
Hodkinson was again called into action five minutes later, producing another impressive defensive effort to deny Jacob Douglas in the corner as Wigan struggled to find their rhythm.
Huddersfield took firm control in a devastating late first-half spell. A successful captain’s challenge paved the way for Zenon to cross out wide and convert his own try on 34 minutes, before Wigan were hit again almost immediately.
An attempted intercept from Adam Keighran went to ground, allowing Niall Evalds to react quickest and touch down, with Zenon converting to open up a 16-0 lead.
Wigan responded just before the break through an acrobatic finish from Zach Eckersley, though Keighran was unable to convert, leaving the hosts trailing 16-4 at half-time.
Any hopes of a second-half fightback were dented early after the restart. Despite applying pressure, Wigan were punished when Huddersfield broke upfield, and Douglas finished clinically to extend the advantage.
The visitors continued to dominate, with debutant Wrench crossing following a lapse in Wigan’s defence, and Zenon adding the conversion to make it 26-4.
Wigan briefly rallied on the hour mark when Jack Farrimond finished off a neat chip from Smith, with the halfback converting to reduce the deficit.
However, Huddersfield quickly reasserted their control. A sharp break down the left from Douglas created the platform for Clune to go over, with Zenon’s conversion stretching the lead to 32-10.
Zenon then added a penalty goal with nine minutes remaining to strengthen Huddersfield’s grip on the game.
Wigan did have the final say when Farrell crossed late on, with Smith converting, but it proved little more than a consolation on a frustrating afternoon for the hosts.
For Huddersfield, it was a performance full of resilience as they claimed their first win of the league campaign, while Wigan were left to reflect on a first defeat of the year after an uncharacteristically error-strewn display.
Wigan: Noah Hodkinson; Zach Eckersley, Adam Keighran, Liam Farrell, Liam Marshall; Jack Farrimond, Harry Smith; Ethan Havard, Brad O’Neill, Luke Thompson, Junior Nsemba, Sam Walters, Kaide Ellis. Subs: Patrick Mago, Ollie Partington, Sam Eseh, Taylor Kerr. 18th man: Kian McDermott.
Tries: Eckersley, Farrimond, Farrell | Goals: Keighran 0/1, Smith 2/2
Huddersfield: Niall Evalds; Tanguy Zenon, Connor Wrench, Jacob Gagai, Jacob Douglas; Tui Lolohea, Adam Clune; Fenton Rogers, Zac Woolford, George King, Asher O’Donnell, Chris Patolo, Tristan Powell. Subs: Taane Milne, Tom Burgess, Kieran Rush, Mathieu Cozza. 18th man: Jack Billington.
Tries: Gagai, Zenon, Evalds, Douglas, Wrench, Clune | Goals: Zenon 5/7
Referee: Tara Jones | Attendance: 15,611