Luke Robinson: Huddersfield Giants appoint ex-half-back as head coach

BBC Sport’s rugby league reporter Matt Newsum

If anyone understands the requirements of coaching Huddersfield, and the environment to be working in, then it is Luke Robinson.

Having been a senior player in claret and gold before retirement, Robinson has done his apprenticeship as an assistant, working under predecessors such as Simon Woolford and Ian Watson, and enjoyed success at academy level with a team that has enriched the Giants’ first grade side in recent years.

The job he inherits will come with some notable challenges, notably in terms of recruitment, following two seasons of underachievement, and re-energising supporters with the performances and results on the field.

He is a likeable, passionate coach with a smart rugby league brain, honed during his playing days as a brave hooker who punched above his weight and size.

Only a lack of experience as a head coach outright would be a concern for Robinson, but he has twice held interim roles before, including his present stint, and has had to embed himself during difficult scenarios.

In Ken Davy he has an owner who has shown himself to be someone who will invest in talent, and he knows managing director Richard Thewlis well. There will be few who know the club better.

Huddersfield might not have lived up to their Giants moniker too often in recent times – Challenge Cup final and play-off appearances aside – but this is a job that would have been coveted.

In Robinson they have a coach who will give his all to get them to rediscover those past glories.