Kallum Watkins scored on his Leeds Rhinos second debut vs Huddersfield in Good Friday’s Super League game

Kallum Watkins scored on his second Leeds debut as they beat Huddersfield 28-6 at Headingley to send the depleted visitors spinning to another Super League defeat.

Former Rhinos captain Watkins – signed last week from Salford – powered over for their second try soon after the interval.

Lachlan Miller had gone over for Leeds’ opening score but they had had to wait over half an hour for that after three first-half efforts had been ruled out by the video referee and some dogged Huddersfield defending.

Ash Handley, Jake Connor and Ryan Hall also went over for Leeds, who cut loose after the interval to seal their third win in four Super League matches.

Huddersfield prop Tom Burgess scored a deserved late consolation try but the Giants went down to a ninth successive defeat in all competitions this season.

Rhinos scrum-half Matt Frawley and second-row Morgan Gannon, on his first Super League start of the season, were both held up over the try line.

Leeds went close again when forward Keenan Palasia barged over, but Miller’s pass was adjudged to have been forward, and they were denied again by the video referee after prop Tom Holroyd went over from close range.

The Giants, without 11 senior players amid a crippling injury crisis, were dealt two more blows when Burgess departed for a concussion check before centre Liam Sutcliffe hobbled off with a leg injury.

The visitors defended valiantly and thought they had taken a shock lead when Sam Halsall appeared to have touched down Jake Bibby’s grubber kick, but the video referee ruled the ball had not been grounded.

Burgess returned to the action for the Giants, who battled gamely on to keep Leeds at bay, with Frawley tackled inches from the try line.

But with nine first-half minutes remaining, Rhinos centre Harry Newman sent Miller darting through a gap to finally breach the Giants’ defence.

Watkins was given a rousing reception before the interval as he stepped off the bench and Giants teenager Archie Sykes made his Super League bow soon after as the visitors trailed just 6-0 at half-time.

Leeds doubled their lead six minutes after the restart through Watkins, who burst on to James Bentley’s pass to power over near the posts and that signalled the opening of the floodgates.

Ash Handley scored one of five Leeds Rhinos tries in the victory

The home side extended their lead to 16-0 when Handley caught and grounded Connor’s high kick and then James McDonnell’s brilliant pass out of the back of his hand set up Connor’s excellent try.

Wing Hall crashed over in the corner to stretch the Rhinos lead to 28-0, with Miller missing his conversion attempt having landed his previous four.

Burgess picked a superb line to barge his way over for the Giants in the closing stages and George Flanagan’s conversion completed the scoring.

Round 8 – RIVALS ROUND- every match live on Sky Sports

Sat April 19: Leigh vs Warrington – 1.30pm
Sat April 19: Catalans vs Salford – 6pm

Sky Sports will again show every game of Super League live this season – including two matches in each round exclusively live, with the remaining four matches each week shown on Sky Sports+ via the red button.