Super League: Tigers beat Giants

A hat-trick from Jy Hitchcox helped Castleford Tigers to survive a second-half scare and beat Huddersfield Giants 38-34 in the Super League on Sunday.

Tries from Mike McMeeken, Greg Minikin and Hitchcox, two of them converted by Luke Gale, sent the hosts in 16-12 ahead at half-time at the Jungle, where Leroy Cudjoe and Jermaine McGillvary crossed for the Giants.

Sam Rapira, Cudjoe again and McGillvary twice, his third of the match coming in the 76th minute, went over in the second period as the bottom-of-the-table visitors went close to registering what would have been just their second win of the season.

But Danny Brough, who had at one point kicked his team into a 30-22 lead, failed to convert McGillvary's hat-trick try and the Giants then knocked on in the final seconds as Castleford snuffed out the attempted comeback.

McMeeken and Hitchcox, the latter twice, as well as Jake Webster, all scored tries after the break, Gale converting three of them, to secure a win that sees them move above Wakefield and Salford and into seventh, one point behind St Helens.