Castleford Beat Giants For Very First Super League Win

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Castleford Tigers (16) 34


Tries: Hood, McIntosh, Lawler, Weaver 2, Golding Goals: Weaver 5


Huddersfield Giants (4) 8


Tries: Gagai, Flanagan


Ashton Golding scored on his Castleford debut against previous club Huddersfield Giants to complete Tigers' very first Super League win of the season.


Tries from Liam Hood, Darnell McIntosh and George Lawler had Tigers cruising inside the opening thirty minutes, however Jacob Gagai pulled one back simply before the break to make it 16-4.


Tom Weaver then grabbed 2 vital second-half tries, either side of George Flanagan's four-pointer, to put Tigers en route to sealing a first league win under head coach Ryan Carr.


The most significant celebration of the night was reserved for Golding, as he crossed for a remarkable very first shot for his brand-new club against the side he left after five years at the end of last season.


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The early season type and misery of the West Yorkshire competitors had actually mirrored one another before their conference at the OneBore Stadium. Both had been winless, pointless and struck by injuries.


Captain Alex Mellor ended up being the most current Tiger to be sidelined after he broke his leg in last week's defeat at Toulouse, while Giants were without a host of injured regulars themselves, consisting of Liam Sutcliff, Joe Greenwood and Harry Rushton since of lengthy lay-offs.


France international Tanguy Zenon started for injury-hit Huddersfield just two days after joining the club, while there were Tigers debuts for Wigan loanee George Hirst and former Giants pair Jack Ashworth and Golding.


Hood provided the hosts the perfect start, darting from dummy-half to get his second try of the season after Joe Stimson was reduced close to the line.


Castleford got a should have second through McIntosh, who scrambled through a frazzled Giants defence that had been pinned back on their line after Taane Milne handed out a negligent penalty for his high hit on Krystian Mapapalangi.


Milne remained in the sin-bin when Lawler crashed over under the posts for Castleford's third shot in the 26th minute, but after that it was Huddersfield who ended up the half more powerful, with Zenon rejected by a try-saving tackle from Mikaele Ravalawa before Gagai ultimately reacted with a 38th-minute score.


Huddersfield continued to threaten but were in search of a way back into the game before Weaver got on completion of a brilliantly weighted grubber kick from Daejarn Asi to edge Castleford 18 points ahead.


Flanagan gave Giants renewed hope when he hit back soon after, but a 2nd from Weaver put the outcome beyond doubt before Golding crashed over to spark wild celebrations.


'We play for this winning sensation' - reaction


Castleford Tigers head coach Ryan Carr informed BBC Radio Leeds:


"That's what we bet, we play to win and bet this sensation today.


"I'm actually delighted for my team and actually delighted for everyone included in our club due to the fact that a lot of work has actually gone into getting to this point. And there will continue to be a lot more work.


"But to be able to see them with a smile on their faces, with all the effort they have actually done given that the first day of pre-season, is enjoyable.


"But it is one win, we need to keep making certain we perform regularly every week now."


"I thought we were rubbish, as plain and simple as that.


"We just robbed ourselves of energy with the amont of dropped balls that we had in that very first half. The lads strove, but they were exhausted.


"I believe they completed 100% [of their sets] in the 2nd half, and we finished around 60-odd. If you just provide the opposition the ball over and over once again, you are going to get the same outcome.


"Eventually it simply robs you of energy and you are basically playing on fumes.


"Look, they are running around, rushing and attempting their hardest however ultimately it just returns to bite you. We simply need to discover and need to learn quick."


Castleford Tigers: Cini, Ravalawa, Mapapalangi, McIntosh, Qaraqare, Asi, Weaver, Atoni, Hood, Westerman, Lane, Hirst, Stimson.


Replacements: Lawler, Ashworth, Hall, Golding.


Huddersfield Giants: Patolo, Woolford, Rogers, O'Donnell, Billington, Powell, Russell, Lolohea, Halsall, Milne, Gagai, Zenon, Flanagan.


Replacements: Burgess, King, Rush, English.


Referee: Matty Lynn.