Mason Lino kicked a late drop goal to ensure Wakefield Trinity kicked off Rivals Round with a 13-12 win over Castleford Tigers.
Here’s our verdict.
Action
Wakefield Trinity claimed their first home win of the season on Thursday night, but they certainly had to do things the hard way. Daryl Powell’s side turned in a first half to forget against their nearest and dearest rivals as Castleford, armed with a couple of new recruits, scored three unanswered first half tries to take a firm grasp of the contest.
The first stemmed from the individual brilliance of Tex Hoy, who hardly put a foot wrong all night. Collecting a Corey Hall kick inside, Hoy rounded the challenge of Josh Griffin and burst down the field before feeding Jason Qareqare, who had the pace to finish from 50 metres out.
Castleford’s second came through skipper Sam Wood, who rose highest to collect a Rowan Milnes kick and Milnes set up Qareqare’s second with another neat kick. Chipping over the top, the scrum-half watched on as Qareqare put the afterburners on to beat Jowitt to the ball and touch down once more.
Wakefield had their chances and if it wasn’t for Hoy, Tom Johnstone would have scored a length of the field effort. However, they didn’t really manage to shift the momentum of the game until around the hour mark with youngster Harvey Smith getting over to give the home side hope of a come back.
Mason Lino thought he had touched down, only for replays to show Jeremiah Simbiken had somehow managed to keep the ball off the ground, but just a few plays later, Max Jowitt dotted the ball down on the line to level the scores.
And, with just over four minutes on the clock, Lino slotted the one pointer to lift the roof off Belle Vue and secure the result they craved.
Star man
Mason Lino. The match winner. It was a sloppy showing from Wakefield for large periods but Lino came up with the goods late on to kick the one pointer.
Good day for
Wakefield Trinity. Daryl Powell’s side struggled but their grit and determination came to the fore as they launched a late comeback to claim the points. A first home win of the season for Wakefield and a much-needed one.
Bad day for
Danny McGuire. The Tigers head coach will have been delighted by his side’s efforts at half-time, but when Wakefield dialled up the intensity, Castleford didn’t have the answers. Their struggles continue.
Bigger picture
Wakefield won’t spend too long looking back at that one, with Daryl Powell no doubt pulling his hair out at times with his side’s sloppiness and mistakes in the first half. However, they found the way to win and they’ll be better for the experience.
The result will be tough to take for Castleford, but the Tigers have to keep their heads up going into a favourable run of fixtures. They’re improving but they still have huge strides to make.
Teams
Wakefield Trinity: Max Jowitt; Cameron Scott, Corey Hall, Oliver Pratt, Tom Johnstone; Jay Pitts, Mason Lino; Mike McMeeken, Liam Hood, Ky Rodwell; Seth Nikotemo, Josh Griffin, Mathieu Cozza.
Bench: Caleb Hamlin-Uele, Renouf Atoni, Harvey Smith, Caius Faatili.
Castleford Tigers: Tex Hoy, Josh Simm, Zac Cini, Sam Wood, Jason Qareqare; Daejarn Asi, Rowan Milnes; Dan Okoro, Liam Horne, George Lawler; Jeremiah Simbiken, Alex Mellor, Muizz Mustapha.
Bench: Joe Westerman, Judah Rimbu, Hugo Salabio, Jordan Dezaria.
This is what Rivals Round is about! 🤩
Victory for @WTrinityRL 🙌#SuperLeague pic.twitter.com/4h5ICttQUI
— Betfred Super League (@SuperLeague) April 17, 2025
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