It was third bottom against third top as the Robins of Hull KR travelled to West Yorkshire to take on a Castleford Tigers side looking for their fourth victory in a disappointing season while a win for the visitors would lift them level on points with the two sides above them at the top of the table.
The bookies had given the Tigers a twelve-point start on the coupon with all expectations pre-game being for a decent win for the side from East Hull but most thought it unlikely that they would get enough points to boost their points difference to take them to the top of the table.
Hull KR were pretty in pink as a good crowd made it into the Jungle to cheer on their sides.
After absorbing early KR pressure it was the home side who got the first points on thirteen minutes with Sam Wood jumping to collect a Rowan Milnes chip kick and dropping to the ground over the line for a four pointer. Milnes added the conversion to add the extra two points.
A Mikey Lewis dummy, step and break saw him through the defensive line on the Tigers thirty before he passed inside to Tom Opacic to score on sixteen. Lewis added the conversion to level the scores.
Within a couple of minutes, the Robins were in again as Jez Litten broke down the centre of the field before finding Eliott Minchella to turn Innes Senior inside out and cross under the sticks. Lewis added a second conversion for 12-6 to the visitors.
It looked like Hull KR would kick on and open the flood gates but excellent defence from the Tigers kept their opponents out for the rest of the half.
It looked like it was a great start to the second half for the Tigers with Sylvester Namo crashing the KR line on forty-two but after sending the decision to the video referee as a ‘TRY’ the slow-motion replay showed that he lost the ball onto the leg of Jez Litten in the act of scoring.
On forty-seven a high tackle from Elie El-Zakhem on his own twenty gave Lewis the chance to add another two points to the Hull KR total but he was wide with an apparently simple opportunity.
Out of nothing Peta Hiku pushed his way over the line on fifty-four but was unable to ground as he was held up over the line.
A comedy of errors gifted Castleford their second try of the night just before the hour, Rowan Milnes going through a gap in the broken KR defence with a dummy and step to score from ten metres out. Milnes added the conversion, the sides all square with twenty remaining.
With just over five minutes remaining KR engineered a position in front of the sticks and Litten was supplied the ball to knock over the one-pointer to edge his side back into the lead.
Cain Robb lost the ball in the carry on his own thirty to put KR under extreme pressure in the dying seconds, but Namo knocked on as he regained his feet to play the ball.
Hull KR knew that they were in a game here and they were lucky to come away with the two points against a Castleford Tigers side which performed above and beyond their current lowly league position. KR go level on league points with the top of the table but the main take away from a breathless game is the green shoots of recovery which are becoming increasingly apparent at Wheldon Road.
Castleford Tigers: Hoy, Qareqare, Hall, Wood (T), Senior, Milnes (2/2 G), Miller, Griffin, Horne, Westerman, Mellor, El-Zakhem, Hill. Subs: Hall, Namo, English, Robb. 18th Man: Hodson.
Hull KR: Evalds, Broadbent, Hiku, Opacic (T), Hall, May, Lewis (2/3 G), Sue, Litten (DG), Brown, Hadley, Tanginoa, Minchella (T). Subs: King, Luckley, Storton, Richardson. 18th Man: Fishwick.
Half-Time: 6-12.
Full-Time: 12-13.
Score Progression: 4-0, 6-0, 6-4, 6-6, 6-10, 6-12 : HT: 10-12, 12-12, 12-13 :FT.
Lead Exchanges: Castleford – Square – KR – Square - KR.
Referee: Aaron Moore.
