Saints 64 Huddersfield Giants16 SECOND-PLACED Saints delighted their fans with 11 sparkling tries in this David v Goliath clash.

But the result strengthened the belief that the gap between top and bottom clubs is now a yawning chasm.

Huddersfield remained in contention until half-time, when Saints led 22-12, but the issue became one-way traffic when Saints scored three tries in four minutes without apparently breaking sweat.

The fates also conspired against the Giants when they lost inspirational skipper and stand-off Bobbie Goulding with a broken leg on his return to Knowsley Road, whose fans were spontaneous in sympathetic applause for a player who led Saints to so much success.

Other former Saints in Danny Arnold and Jonathan Neil, along with non-stop hooker Ryan Hudson, strove mightily to stem a tide that ultimately engulfed Huddersfield against a Saints squad fully committed to entertain despite the baking heat.

Scrum-half Sean Long was man-of-the match and tormentor-in-chief with two tries and ten goals for a personal-best 28 points, while 50-yard touchdowns by the outstanding Keiron Cunningham and rock-like Paul Atcheson were also moments to savour.

And, with youth having served Saints so well this season, it would appear coach Ellery Hanley has pulled two more winners from the hat in Welsh forward Gareth Price and locally-bred winger Steve Hall, who scored their first tries for the club.

Saints were quickly six points up when Chris Joynt scored after being put through Long, but Goulding's tracer-bullet pass saw Matt Sturm race over with Bobbie's conversion being followed by a drop-goal attempt which could have given Giants a shock lead. Saints regained the initiative when Arnold fumbled Tommy Martyn's bomb for Freddie Tuilagi to pounce, and then Long shot past Hudson and the remnants of the Huddersfield cover to give Saints a 16-6 lead with 23 minutes on the clock.

Kevin Iro made the running for Saints' next try, with Paul Sculthorpe the link man as Long scored his second to which he added a towering touchline conversion. Giants hit back as the interval approached, and only a timely tackle by Atcheson prevented Hudson from scoring.

However, there was no denying Craig Weston after another pin-point pass from Goulding, but that proved to be Huddersfield's final act of defiance for fully 40 minutes as Saints indulged in a second half spree.

The touch-paper was lit inevitably by Long before Sculthorpe took over to send Price between the Eccleston end posts; 'Scully' then combined with Iro to create a 13th try of the season for Chris Smith, and the battle-fatigued Giants could only stand and stare as Long and Price sent in Anthony Sullivan.

Cunningham swept imperiously over from half-way, to leave Huddersfield trailing 46-12 on threequarter time, with the visitors' distress being compounded when Goulding was assisted from the field after a challenge on Paul Davidson.

Strapping young substitute Hall came on to make his mark, first with a try from short range after snapping up a loose ball, followed by a typical winger's effort when, after Tuilagi broke on the left, Steve hurtled 40 yards to score.

Linking full-back 'Patch' set the seal on a highly professional Saints' performance with his long-distance epic, while a gallant Huddersfield side were well worth a last-gasp consolation try by teenage centre Martin Gleeson.

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