Tigers 4–62 Warriors

Castleford Tigers journeyed down to the Brick Community Stadium to face the Wigan Warriors following a dramatic derby win over Wakefield. The Tigers faced tough opposition as the Warriors stormed to victory, scoring 11 tries on the night while Castleford could do little more than claim a consolation score.

The opening five minutes were riddled with errors from both sides, with Wigan the first to capitalise by pouncing on a loose ball to make it 6-0. Another mistake led to the second try as Wigan intercepted a pass and raced away to score. The Warriors maintained the pressure, forcing a goal-line dropout before crossing again in the corner. A ball steal just shy of the 30-minute mark led to another Wigan try out wide, which this time was not converted. Shortly after, they spread the ball and gathered a grubber kick to score to the left of the posts. The final try of the half came in the closing minutes when Wigan crossed under the sticks, taking the score to 34-0 at the break.

The second half began poorly for Castleford, with penalties and errors once more gifting Wigan territory. A cross-field kick was collected in the corner for another try. The Warriors then successfully challenged a decision to regain possession before crashing over the line again. Castleford finally had a positive moment just after the 60-minute mark when Muizz Mustapha skilfully scooped up the ball at the ruck, stepped past a defender, and rounded the fullback with a burst of pace to score in front of the travelling Cas faithful. Tex Hoy converted to bring the score to 50-4.

Wigan responded immediately, stealing the ball in the tackle before finishing off another grubber kick by the posts. One last score in the final five minutes saw the Warriors extend their lead to 62-4.

It was a tough night for the Tigers, with Mustapha’s solo effort providing the only highlight for the away fans. Castleford are next in action next week when they once again cross the M62 to face St Helens in the final match of the season.

Castleford Tigers

1. Tex Hoy

2. Will Tate

3. Sam Wood

4. Louis Senior

5. Elliott Wallis

6. Daejarn Asi

7. Chris Atkin

8. George Lawler

9. Liam Horne

10. Brad Singleton

11. Alex Mellor

12. Joe Stimson

13. Joe Westerman

Interchanges (all used):
15. George Griffin, 16. Cain Robb, 19. Sam Hall, 20. Muizz Mustapha

Scorers:
Try: Mustapha (65’)
Goal: Hoy (65’)

Wigan Warriors

1. Jai Field

2. Abbas Miski

3. Zach Eckersley

4. Jake Wardle

5. Liam Marshall

6. Bevan French

7. Jack Farrimond

8. Ethan Havard

9. Kruise Leeming

10. Luke Thompson

11. Sam Walters

12. Junior Nsemba

13. Kaide Ellis

Interchanges (all used):
9. Brad O’Neill, 15. Patrick Mago, 19. Tyler Dupree, 20. Harvie Hill

Scorers:
Tries: Miski (5’, 49’), Field (9’, 71’), Marshall (24’, 28’), Farrimond (34’, 38’), Hill (61’), Eckersley (67’), Havard (76’)
Goals: Farrimond (5’, 9’, 34’, 38’, 68’, 76’)

Match Officials
Referee: Aaron Moore
Video Referee: Tom Grant