Huddersfield Giants have stood down head coach Ian Watson with immediate effect ahead of their match against Leigh Leopards on Saturday.
Watson joined Huddersfield ahead of the 2021 season and had signed a new four-year deal in 2022 but will not manage the club when they take on Leigh – live on Sky Sports Mix at 3pm on Saturday.
Huddersfield were thrashed 48-0 last Friday by Warrington Wolves with a performance that Watson labelled as “embarrassing.”
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“Following today’s scheduled monthly board meeting the club has stood down head coach Ian Watson with immediate effect,” read a Huddersfield Giants statement.
“Luke Robinson will take charge of the team ahead of the upcoming Betfred Super League game at Leigh at the weekend. Neither the club nor Ian will make any further comments.”
Huddersfield made the Challenge Cup final in 2022 and finished third but have largely struggled since then.
Their defeat to Warrington last Friday was their seventh in eight games, in a season that is unravelling.
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Highlights of the Super League match between Warrington Wolves and Huddersfield Giants
“I don’t think it’s surprising. We are a results-based industry. This is his fourth year in charge of Huddersfield and he’s not changed a great deal in that time, which is what he was signed to do,” said Sky Sports’ Sam Tomkins.
“The performance last week can’t have helped. They gave up in some sense in that game. That’s the tough reality of the sport.
“If the team aren’t producing, they have got to make a change. Going into the second half of the season, they are eight points off the play-offs and had to make a big change.”
Watch every match of the 2024 Betfred Super League season, including Magic Weekend, the play-offs, and men’s, women’s, and wheelchair Grand Finals, live on Sky Sports. Also stream with NOW.
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