A courageous Huddersfield Giants team mounted one of the great defensive displays in ending St Helens’s three-year Carnegie Challenge Cup monopoly and reaching Wembley for the first time since 1962.

Their fortitude was exemplified by a Lilliputian among the Giants in Brett Hodgson, the 12-stone full back, who patrolled his line with a fearless determination that was matched in attack by his fearsome determination and creative ingenuity.

Hodgson’s kick on the fly enabled Stephen Wild to outstrip Paul Wellens and touch down for his second try in the 77th minute and set up a third final meeting between Huddersfield and Warrington, who beat Wigan Warriors 39-26 in Saturday’s first semi-final.

“He’s a smart, very clever player, and he’s very tough,” Nathan Brown, the Huddersfield coach, said of the talismanic Hodgson. “He puts his body on the line and his leadership was great. The decision to sign him \ was made before I got the job and it’s one which I applaud the old coaching staff for.”

Although Francis Meli scored a hat-trick of tries for St Helens in their first loss in the competition since the 2005 semi-final, Huddersfield’s brilliantly engineered parsimony explained yesterday’s upset. The Giants were Trojans on their line and took their chances with aplomb. There was no getting over the fact that the holders missed Sean Long, a frustrated bystander with a broken jaw. Kyle Eastmond showed only flashes of his potential at scrum half, whereas Huddersfield were inspired by an attacking trio of Hodgson and Luke Robinson and Kevin Brown, the half backs.

Leroy Cudjoe’s inside pass put Hodgson over for the first try, to which Meli was quick to respond. But Huddersfield’s defending to deny clear-cut opportunities for Leon Pryce, Eastmond and Lee Gilmour, whose efforts were each denied by the video referee, was outstanding. Brown’s break and Paul Whatuira’s support put Wild clear for a try that gave the Giants a 10-4 half-time advantage.

Within a minute of the resumption, Brown chipped for Cudjoe to steal behind Wellens and touch down. Brown was ideally placed to take the ball knocked down by Ade Gardner, under pressure from David Hodgson, after Robinson had sent a steepling kick to the corner. Gilmour and Wilkin fashioned a magnificent score by Meli, but Huddersfield held firm and spurned three kickable chances at goal before Hodgson made room for himself and placed a perfect grubber kick for Wild to run on to and score.

Scorers:
St Helens: Tries: Meli 3. Goal: Eastmond.
Huddersfield Giants: Tries: B Hodgson, Wild 2, Cudjoe, Brown. Goals: B Hodgson 2.

St Helens: P Wellens; A Gardner, M Gidley, C Dean, F Meli; L Pryce, K Eastmond; J Graham, K Cunningham, T Puletua, C Flannery, J Wilkin, L Gilmour. Interchange: B Hargreaves, J Roby, P Clough, A Dixon.

Huddersfield Giants: B Hodgson; L Cudjoe, J Lolesi, P Whatuira, D Hodgson; K Brown, L Robinson; K Mason, S Moore, D Griffin, S Wild, L Fulton, D Faiumu. Interchange: S Lunt, E Crabtree, P Jackson, D Kirmond.

Referee: R Silverwood.