News

Posted: Friday 7th May 2021

Cas vs Salford: Cup Quarter-Final preview

Castleford Tigers play Salford Red Devils in the Betfred Challenge Cup quarter-finals live on BBC Two at 5:30pm!

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Saturday’s fixture at Emerald Headingley Stadium in Leeds will be the second time the sides have come up against one another in just over a week, with the two facing off in the Super League last Friday.

Daryl Powell’s men were victorious on the night at the AJ Bell Stadium as Greg Eden, Liam Watts, and Cheyse Blair all got over the line for a try and Danny Richardson added another 12 points from his right boot to seal an 18-28 win.

Head Coach Powell was satisfied with his team as they put the solitary defeat of the season at Wigan behind them.

UP FOR THE CUP!

With the prospect of a visit to Wembley only two victories away, the Fords will be extra motivated to get the job done on Saturday and take a step closer to possible Challenge Cup glory.

Reaching this stage of the competition was not an easy task for Cas as they had to come back from 32 points to 18 down away at Hull KR to eventually progress to the next round with a dramatic Golden Point victory.

It was an enthralling encounter at Craven Park with a total of 12 tries being scored, however, it was Jordan Turner’s effort after the final hooter that was the most telling. The 32-year-old, off a bit of Paul McShane magic, leveled the tie and it was Gareth O’Brien who slotted the ball between the posts to win it in the 99th minute after FOUR periods of extra time.

If the last round is anything to go by, we could be in for another thrilling match-up this weekend!

TIGERS TEAM NEWS

Powell has decided to make three alterations to last week’s squad with Cheyse Blair, Greg Eden, and Sam Hall not featuring. Replacing them will be Daniel Smith, Gareth O’Brien, and James Clare who is included in the 21-man squad for the first time in 2021.

Nathan Massey will also be available after being forced off after a failed head injury assessment last time out.

SALFORD OUT FOR REVENGE

Despite being on the losing side the last time the two teams met; Salford will have taken positives from the League meeting.

Greg Eden received an accurate cross-field kick from Danny Richardson early on to put Cas ahead, although Salford responded well with scores from Kevin Brown and Andy Ackers to turn the game on its head. A yellow card, some loose play, and conceding penalties will be the main factors Richard Marshall will look back on with some disappointment.

The Red Devils however will be boosted by the likes of Dan Sarginson and Pauli Pauli returning to the squad after missing last week’s match.

THE OPPOSITION

Salford were many people’s dark horses going into the season, although the Red Devils have yet to live up to that billing so far. Their Super League campaign began with consecutive defeats to St Helens and Hull FC before they put Widnes to the sword in the third round of the Challenge Cup by 68 to 4.

The Greater Manchester club’s only league win this season was a come-from-behind 34-8 victory over Leigh Centurions.

POWELL’S PREVIEW

In his pre-match press conference, Daryl Powell explained the complexities of facing the same team twice in quick succession.

“It’s a bit less work in terms of previewing the opposition. You get to learn a fair bit about each other without having to preview the game in too much detail. It is a lot of work previewing with all the hours looking at video, so from that perspective, it is a little bit easier.

“Whether you use a different game plan from one game to the other is also a factor. For us, I think we need to execute a little bit better in attacking positions.”

WATCH Daryl’s full press conference preview of the Cup tie on Tigers TV

THE SQUADS

Castleford Tigers: 1. Niall Evalds, 2. Derrell Olpherts, 3. Peter Mata’utia, 4. Michael Shenton, 6. Jake Trueman, 7. Danny Richardson, 8. Liam Watts, 9. Paul McShane, 10. Grant Millington, 11. Oliver Holmes, 13. Adam Milner, 14. Nathan Massey, 15. George Griffin, 20. James Clare, 21. Jesse Sene-Lefao, 22. Daniel Smith, 25. Jordan Turner, 26. Lewis Bienek, 27. Lewis Peachey, 28. Brad Martin, 31. Gareth O’Brien

Salford Red Devils: 2. Ken Sio, 3. Kallum Watkins, 6. Tui Lolohea, 7. Kevin Brown, 8. Lee Mossop, 10. Seb Ikahihifo, 11. Ryan Lannon, 12. Pauli Pauli, 13. Elijah Taylor, 14. Danny Addy, 15. Ollie Roberts, 16. Greg Burke, 18. Chris Atkin, 19. Elliot Kear, 20. Harvey Livett, 21. James Greenwood, 22. Rhys Williams, 23. Dan Sarginson, 25. Jack Ormonroyd, 28. Darxy Lussick, 29. Dec Patton

PLAYER’S VIEW

Paul McShane has gone on the record to state how desperate he is to win silverware with Castleford Tigers, and this week he stated how much getting to the next round and possibly beyond would mean to him and the rest of the team.

“It’s exciting! We’ve got a tough task ahead this week and we’ve got a lot of reasons why we want to get there and do a job. The Challenge Cup is massive, and it was the main thing for me growing up.

“For me personally, I have never been to a Challenge Cup semi-final so it would be massive for me. I remember watching the final on telly back in 1999 when it was Leeds against London and that is when I started to get into Rugby properly.”

WATCH Macca speaking to the press in full on Tigers TV

HOW TO WATCH

Saturday’s game will be shown live on BBC Two, kick-off is at 5:30pm.

This match in full will be available to watch for Tigers TV subscribers on Monday, highlights of the match will be available for everyone to view for free.