The game of the Super League weekend saw the league leaders St Helens travel to the Mend-A-Hose Jungle to take on a Castleford Tigers side unbeaten in their last three games.

After humbling league leaders Leeds Rhinos last Thursday it was their second chance in a week to claim the scalp of the side at the top of the table.

But Saints would be a tough prospect, still flying high from their win over the old enemy Wigan Warriors, last Friday night.

The opening minutes were all Castleford as they threw everything they had into a great opening. On five minutes the returning Justin Carney brushed away three Siants tacklers to ground in the left corner but Luke Gale couldn't convert from the touch line.

Within three minutes the Saints had shown their class, turning a deficit into a lead when a delightful Travis Burns grubber bounced perfectly for Luke Walsh to ground under the sticks giving Mark Percival a simple conversion. The lead was extended to 12-4 on fifteen when Alex Walmsley went under the sticks after Castleford had been penalised for for lifting Adam Swift in their own twenty.

The Tigers were right back in it on twenty-seven with a spectacular length of the field try after Jordan Turner lost the ball on the Tigers line and Denny Solomona picked up the loose ball and sprinted one hundred metres, stepping past Matty Dawson the last line of Saints defence, to cross and give Luke Gale a simple conversion for 10-12.

But Saints weren't going to leave the door ajar and within three minutes they were eight points ahead when Joe greenwood benefitted from Justin Carney dropping the ball in his own twenty to push through a gap to score and allow Percival another straight-forward conversion to give his side an 18-10 half time lead.

It was a great start to the second half for the home side when a Ben Roberts kick was groused by a flying Jake Webster. Luke Gale goaled to once again get his side back within two of the Saints.

Just before the hour mark James Roby uncharacteristically put a clearing kick into touch on the full, and on the last tackle of the resulting set a Luke Gale kick to goal was knocked on by Jordan Turner and picked up and grounded in goal by Matt Cook. Gale added the extras for 22-18.

Fifteen minutes from the end and Saints ran the ball on the last a Jordan Turner switch kick was picked up by Shannon McDonnell and grounded by the left upright. The video referee was consulted who awarded try and Percival kicked his side back into a two point lead at 24-22.

There was a long break for injury to Adam Swift which saw Saints winger stretchered off eight minutes from the end after a knock to the head.

With six minutes left Mark Percival was yellow carded for a flop on Solomona after McDonnell and already completed the tackle and the Tigers had the remainder of the game to snatch the win with a one man advantage.

Five out and Louis McCarthy-Scarsbrook pushed Ben Roberts out of the way as he went to collect a drop out. Luke Gale kicked the two from in front of the sticks to level the scores at 24-24.

The sides exchanged missed drop-goal attempts before both making awful handling mistakes (Roberts and Roby). When it looked like we were heading for a draw the Tigers made good ground down field and as the hooter sounded Ben Roberts kicked a drop goal from twenty metres out to snatch the points with a 25-24 win.

This was a fantastic game, a superb advert for the greatest game, with the most sensational of finishes. The Tigers did a Saints.

The boys from the Jungle have done it again and taken points from the league leaders, giving their arch rivals the Leeds Rhinos the chance to go back top if they can beat Hull FC at Headingley on Sunday afternoon.

Tigers: Roberts (DG), Solomona (T), Webster (T), Shenton, Carney (T), Gale (4G), Finn, Lynch, Moore, Millington, Holmes, McMeeken, Massey. Subs: Milner, Cook (T), Moors, Bailey.

Saints: McDonnell (T), Dawson, Percival (4G) (SB), Turner, Swift, Burns, Walsh (T), Amor, Roby, Walmsley (T), McCarthy-Scarsbrook, Wilkin, Jones. Subs: Masoe, Flanagan, Richards, Greenwood (T).


Referee: Richard Silverwood
Attendance: 6,086