Two sides with a single win tucked under their 2025 belts
met in a basement four pointer at The Jungle as Castleford Tigers, under the
control of Danny McGuire, came up against Steve McNamara’s Catalans Dragons with
a crucial early season two points up for grabs.
The visitors started the game as slight favourites with the
Tigers given a four-point start on the coupon by the bookies, but 2025 form had
been awful for both sides, despite a win in for both in their last Super League
outing a fortnight ago.
McGuire had spoken in the week about having a sull strength
squad to choose from for this afternoon’s fixture but McNamara was without the
services of the likes of Mourgue (transferred to Hull KR), Makinson (knee
injury) and Fages as he named his seventeen under pressure to deliver the win.
As the game kicked off the heavens opened, and the intensity
increased as the game progressed through its early stages.
The visitors had the best of the opening exchanges, but the
video referee agree with an on-field ‘NO TRY’ ruling twice in the opening
fifteen minutes.
The Tigers dam finally burst on eighteen when Tevita
Pangai-Junior swatted away the attempted tackles and muscled his way over the
line for the opening score of the game. Sam Tomkins missed a simple conversion
in awful conditions.
Only three more minutes had passed following a Tigers kick-off
out on the full, before the Dragons added to their score. Da Costa scooted from
acting half back through a bedraggled Tigers defence to score under the sticks
from eight metres out. Tomkins kicked this conversion for a 10-0 lead.
Innes Senior thought he’d struck back for the Tigers on
twenty-four as he bounced over the line under the tackle of Tomkins. Castleford
wasted their Captains Challenge, the video official agreeing with Liam Rush who
had originally ruled double-movement.
Conditions were awful, and the handling errors were
increasing as the game hit the half hour mark. Areas of standing water were
starting to grow on the pitch.
A late hit from Muizz Mustapha on a long kicking Sam Tomkins
gifted the Dragons full-back a simple penalty from ten metres out from the Castleford
line. Five minutes from the interval, the Dragons were 12-0 ahead.
Seconds from the half-time hooter a clumsy and late hit from
Judah Rimbu gave Tomkins another penalty goal for 14-0 at the break.
Six minutes after the restart the Dragons went in for their
third try as Fouad Yaha chased down a delightful grubber kick to the corner to collect
and ground in goal. Tomkins converted brilliant from the touchline for 20-0,
another loss for the Tigers as good as assured.
At last, the rain eased.
On the hour mark a trademark jinking Tomkins run saw the
Dragons full-back weave through the Tigers defence to score from fifteen metres
out. He added the conversion to his own try and at 26-0 there was simply no way
back for the home side.
With twelve minutes remaining the Tigers finally registered
their first points, Sam Wood setting free Innes Senior to sprint down the left
wing and diving over in the corner. Rowan Milnes was unable to add the
conversion.
With five seconds remaining Sam Tomkins was sin-binned for persistent offside but the hooter sounded before he'd left the field.
A confident win for the Dragons over a poor Castleford side
in dreadful conditions. Neither side prospered under the downpour which greeted
them to the field, but the Dragons made the most of the conditions to take the
win which doubles their league points for the season. The Tigers returned to
losing ways ad leave McGuire with more head scratching.
Catalans Dragons: Tomkins (T, G 5/6, SB on 80), Yaha (T), Laguerre,
Smith, Cotric, Keary, Aispuro-Bichet, Pangai Junior (T), Da Costa (T),
Bousquet, Garcia, Whitehead, Partington. Subs: Romano, Satae, Navarrete, Dezaria.
18th Man:.
Castleford Tigers: Hoy, Simm, Cini, Wood, Senior (T), Asi,
Milnes (G 0/1), Singleton, Robb, Simbiken, Mellor, Horne. Subs: Rimbu, Griffin,
Mustapha, Namo. 18th Man: Hill.
Half-Time: 0-14.
Full-Time: 4-26.
Score Progression: 0-4, 0-8, 0-10, 0-12, 0-14 : HT: 0-18, 0-20, 0-24, 0-26, 4-26, (SB) :FT.
Lead Exchanges: Catalans.
Referee: Liam Rush.
