Huddersfield coach Jon Sharp watched his side put promoted Castleford to the sword with a ruthless exhibition of power-packed play and then tipped his shell-shocked opponents to bounce back.
The threadbare Tigers conceded 12 tries in a shambolic performance at the Galpharm Stadium that rekindled painful memories of their relegation season for coach Terry Matterson.
"I was hoping we wouldn't have any of those performances from two years ago but we have now," said Matterson of the 64-12 mauling. "We've got to deal with it and move on."
Matterson was left with just 17 players to select from after Brent Sherwin and Michael Shenton joined the injury list, but he hopes both men will be back to face Harlequins next Sunday, while Scott Moore is now available after completing a two-match ban.
Delighted with his own team's display after below-par performances in their opening two matches, Sharp was able to spare a thought for his beleaguered counterpart.
"They've had a tough day and they've got injuries at the moment, but they'll get through the other side," he said.
"They've got good leadership and good seniors who will get their heads down and get through. We are only two points in front of them."
Scrum-half Luke Robinson overcame a heavy knock that forced him on to the bench for half an hour to score the second of two tries that put the seal on a superb all-round performance.
Jamahl Lolesi also scored a brace and captain Chris Thorman finished with 20 points while Australian winger Rod Jensen caught the eye with a dashing full-back display.
"I thought we saw it all come together in one game, unfortunately for Castleford," added Sharp.
Huddersfield's first win of the season leaves only Castleford without a point after three rounds, while Hull KR dropped from second to sixth place after going down 29-28 in an epic clash with Warrington at Craven Park.
The Wolves raced into a 28-0 lead inside the first half hour thanks to tries from Martin Gleeson, Chris Hicks (two), Paul Johnson and Ben Westwood, Lee Briers kicking four goals.
Jake Webster sparked an amazing fightback with a try six minutes before the break and it was one-way traffic in the second half as Rovers sensed a famous victory.
In the end, Warrington were grateful for Michael Monaghan's 72nd-minute drop goal but coach Paul Cullen was furious with the refereeing of Ashley Klein.
"We were 28-0 up and completely and utterly in control," said Cullen. "We then conceded five back-to-back penalties and spent the last 10 minutes of the first half defending our tryline.
"To go in 28-4 up at half-time was a very fair reflection but to say we are not happy with the penalty count is the understatement of the season. It was seven against us in the first half and six in the second."
Meanwhile, Wakefield are counting the heavy cost of Saturday's 34-18 defeat at Harlequins, with three key players almost certainly ruled out for up to two months.
Hooker Brad Drew broke two bones in a hand and will see a specialist today to determine whether or not he needs to undergo surgery.
Hospital X-rays allayed fears that captain and loose forward Jason Demetriou suffered a break but he is expected to be sidelined for six to eight weeks with damaged ankle ligaments.
Centre Tony Martin faces a similar length out after tearing a hamstring and, along with Demetriou, will undergo scans early in the week to determine the seriousness of the injury.
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