Leeds go third with hard-fought win over Castleford

Betfred Super League

Castleford (0) 6

Milnes, senior goalie

Leeds (7) 29

With a hard-earned win over Castleford Tigers, Leeds Rhinos moved up to third place in the Super League.

Sam Lisone’s converted try just before the half-hour mark and Jake Connor’s drop-goal just before the break served as the only consolation of a tight first half.

The hosts were one point clear of Leeds when Louis Senior scored early in the second period with two quick tries from Ryan Hall and Harry Newman.

After only eight minutes, when Liam Horne was sin-binned for a trip on Connor, Castleford were down to 12 men.

By playing the entire length of the pitch, Leeds attempted to make the most of the extra man, but a subpar pass on the final tackle let the Tigers go.

The Rhinos scored the game’s opening points on 32 minutes with Connor scoring after a first-half-hour scuffle.

The visitors were 7-0 at half-time when Connor slotted a drop goal from in front of the posts.

In the opening minute of the second half, Senior scored Castleford’s goals, collecting Alex Mellor’s offload before crossing and Rowan Milnes knocking over the extras to close the one-point gap.

Ten minutes later, the Rhinos won thanks to Newman’s fumble on a Brodie Croft kick.

After 61 minutes, Senior collected a loose ball to run in from 90 meters, but Mellor had knocked the ball on in a tackle on Connor, making it impossible for him to get it.

Hall placed him ahead of Mick Sullivan in the list of all-time top scorers in the British game with a score just short of the hour mark, which included try number 343 for the veteran.

The Rhinos had still got a chance to win the game with that score, but Newman and Lisone needed to both score their second try.

Danny McGuire, the manager of the Castleford Tigers:

“I thought the boys worked really hard and were very committed, and I don’t think the score accurately reflects the competition.

“Rugby League is all about the moments, and Leeds were in a close game, and they knew it.” You can take a defeat if you leave everything out, and I believe we did that because we lost, but I’m not pleased because of that.

“We haven’t won tonight, but we know we’re on the right track and need to work hard.”

Everyone wants it now, so it occasionally causes frustration. Although the good times are just around the corner, we will succeed with the effort, perseverance, and commitment.

Brad Arthur, head coach of the Leeds Rhinos:

We’re aiming for just getting our combinations right each week and being a little bit better each week. Our current priorities are not at the table, but it’s nice to sit there. The win column takes care of itself if we get those things right.

“I thought it was fairly professional,” she said. All of our points would come from the fact that we only made a small number of errors and discussed making sure we only made it to the tackle count.

Hall, Mustapha, Okoro, and Atkin swap.

Sin-bin: Horne (8).

Leeds: Oledzki, O’Connor, Jenkins, Gannon, McDonnell, Watkins, Hall, Handley, Newman, Lumb, Croft, and Miller.

Holroyd, Lisone, Palasia, and Smith swaps.