Rugby League

Super League

Sunday 4th May 2025

Kick Off 13.00 (advertised as 13.15 on match ticket)

Huddersfield Giants 12 Hull 10, attendance 32,862

@ Newcastle United F.C.

St. James’ Park

Leazes Terrace

Newcastle upon Tyne

NE1 4ST

£30 Admission (Day ticket covering 3 games) + £1 Booking Fee, Print at Home Ticket

£5 Programme available, didn’t bother buying.

This was the eighth time Newcastle United have hosted the ‘Magic Weekend’ and with doubts/rumours that it may be the last time here, I finally got round to ticking off St. James’ Park for rugby league. I’d been here for football, way back on New Years Day 1990, to see Newcastle United host Wolverhampton Wanderers in a Football League Division 2 match, a game that Wolves won 4-1, with Steve Bull scoring all four goals for the visitors in front of a crowd of 22,054. The ground has changed beyond all recognition since then, now having an all seated capacity of 52,305, with one end and one side totally dwarfing the rest of the ground. I opted for an unreserved seat in the Gallowgate End (the small end behind the goal) which covered all three games today. I’d travelled up from my games in Cambridgeshire yesterday, staying overnight in Newton Aycliffe. A 30 minute drive up the A1 saw me arrive at Felling, just east of Gateshead, where I opted to catch the Newcastle Metro in to the ground. Street parking was not restricted around the station on a Sunday and it was only four stops (including changing at Monument for one stop to St. James station). Buying a one day travel card (£5.60) worked out to be the marginally cheaper than two singles (no return option) and the inward train only had a wait of a couple of minutes. You emerge from the Metro right behind the Gallowgate End, which was perfect as far as I was concerned.

First game up was bottom of the table Huddersfield Giants against Hull, who were fifth. Giants had lost all nine games they’ve played so far, but were well deserved winners here. A George Flanagan penalty put them ahead, before a Leroy Cudjoe try, converted by Flanagan, saw them open up an 8-0 lead. A Herman Ese’ese try, converted by Sezer saw Hull reduce the lead to 8-6, but they then had Liam Knight sent off right on halftime, following a shoulder charge on Sam Hewitt. Giants extended their lead after fifty six minutes with a try from Jacob Gagai, but failed to convert, so led 12-6. Within five minutes a Lewis Martin try (conversion missed) saw the twelve men pull it back to 12-10, but playing with an extra man meant Giants were able to hang on for their first win.