Castleford Tigers 7-12 Hull KR: Highlights, Player Ratings and Talking Points

It was a less than vintage performance from Hull KR but they showed a different facet of their building credentials in 2023 – an ability to win ugly.

Highlights:

Cas strike first
It was a strong start for the home side and they got their rewards when a neat kick was batted back and Jacob Miller was on hand to take it and score.

Hall denied
That try came from a kick and the Robins thought they had hit back with a kick of their own but desperation from Greg Eden saw Hall bounce the ball as he attempted to ground it.

Cas character
Castleford were reduced to 12 men at the end of the first half. However, they defended valiantly and that was the case throughout the first 40 with a try saver on Shaun Kenny-Dowall.

Fonua denied
At the start of the second half it seemed that Mahe Fonua was set to score a second for the Tigers as a looping pass put him into space but brilliant cover defence saw him forced into touch.

Corey Hall carves through
In his second appearance for Hull KR, Corey Hall was given a bit of space out wide and a dummy to Ryan Hall allowed him carve through and score.

Tigers nudge in front
In a tight affair, Jacob Miller gave the Tigers the lead again with a smart drop goal.

Error leads to Parcell try
Straight from the kick-off however, the Tigers let the ball go out of play giving the Robins a chance and then Matt Parcell dummied his way over.

Talking Points:

KR title challengers
The sign of a Champion team is the ability to win games when you are not at your best. Hull KR did that and showed the defensive grit and grind of a top team. They also showed great patience.

Last’s new era built on guts
Say what you will about Cas’ attack but they sure have guts and won’t be beaten easily. They battled hard tonight and were unlucky to lose.

Head knocks galore
It is being talked about more and more and tonight big hits and late shots saw players go off for Head Injury Assessments and questions raised over what exactly should constitute a penalty.

Player Ratings:

Castleford Tigers
2 Greg Eden – 8
5 Bureta Faraimo – 7
12 Alex Mellor – 6
3 Jordan Turner – 6
4 Mahe Fonua – 6
17 Jack Broadbent – 7
7 Jacob Miller – 8
8 George Lawler – 6
9 Paul McShane – 6
10 George Griffin – 6
16 Adam Milner – 7
11 Kenny Edwards – 6
13 Joe Westerman – 8
Substitutes
23 Suaia Matagi – 6
28 Sam Hall – 6
32 Liam Watts – 7
39 Will Tate – 6

Hull KR
1 Lachlan Coote – 7
4 Shaun Kenny-Dowall – 7
3 Tom Opacic – 7
33 Corey Hall – 8
5 Ryan Hall – 7
20 Mikey Lewis – 7
7 Jordan Abdull – 7
15 Rhys Kennedy – 7
9 Matt Parcell – 8
10 George King – 7
16 James Batchelor – 7
12 Kane Linnett – 7
13 Elliot Minchella – 7
Substitutes
14 Jez Litten – 7
17 Matt Storton – 7
22 Dean Hadley – 7
26 Sam Luckley – 7