If there was a trophy for most improved side throughout the 2024 season then it would already be safely on display in the Leigh Leopards trophy cabinet as the continued their increasingly likely drive for a top six finish with a trip to struggling Castleford Tigers, their eyes firmly on fourth spot in the table.

Leigh have only lost two games in the last two months and both of those were to defending Champions, the Wigan Warriors, after losing their opening three fixtures of the season and looking like they would be struggling at the bottom with London, Hull and tonight’s opponents Castleford.

The season had been over for weeks for the hosts and they were simply playing for pride and the possibility of finishing the season in ninth place.

While the Castleford Tigers are safely away from being in any danger of picking up the 2024 wooden spoon, they have only pride to play for in their remaining four games as they are almost certain to end the season in tenth spot after a difficult start which has seem them manage just six wins in their fourteen outings.

Hull FC, on the other hand, are still in danger of the ignominy of finishing the season in bottom spot and ending round twenty-seven below last season’s promoted Championship side the London Broncos who had failed to recruit pre-season in the full knowledge that the IMG grading system would mean that they would be relegated regardless of how they performed on the field in 2024.

The crowd entered the MKM Stadium more in hope than expectation of a decent game.

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.

The West Yorkshire derby had it all to play for as Castleford Tigers travelled the short distance to Headingley to take on the arch enemy the Leeds Rhinos as both sides desperately needed the two points on offer.

The visitors couldn’t improve their league position with a win but could increase the gap between themselves and the bottom two club while the Rhinos knew that a win by more than twelve points would lift them into the top six, at least for the next twenty hours.

The Rhinos were handicapped by ten on the coupon, the bookies thinking that it would be a Rhinos win but not necessarily a convincing one.

Two sides from the wrong end if the 2024 Super League table met in the final game of round ten as the Castleford Tigers went to Leigh Leopards with both sides looking for their third win of the season to cut adrift the pointless London Broncos in last place.

The bookies couldn’t see anything other than a win for the Leopards, giving the visitors a sixteen-point start in the coupon for the first meeting between the two strugglers, mostly in recognition of the way that Leigh demolished the Catalans Dragons last time out just eight days ago.

When the draw was made for the quarter final of the 2024 Challenge Cup, most supporters would have been willing for their side to be drawn out against a struggling Castleford Tigers side who have only picked up one league win so far this season, in the end that lucky side was the Wigan Warriors.

Many pundits, and the bookies, believed that this was as good as a bye for the Warriors and with them being handicapped by thirty points on the coupon, they were a ‘shoe in’ for the semi-finals and probably the side that the others would look to avoid one game out from Wembley.

The concept of a Tigers win was unthinkable for all except the Castleford coach Craig Lingard and his trusted seventeen players playing for the pride in their jersey.

The expectation was for a cricket score as second bottom side in the 2024 Super League, Castleford Tigers, travelled to the notoriously hostile Stade Gilbert Brutus to take on the Catalans Dragons.

A win by forty-five points or more would leapfrog the Dragons over Wigan and Saints and into the top spot on the five-week-old table, while a win for the Tigers would move them above a Hull FC side who were thrashed earlier in the afternoon, and into tenth place in the table, more importantly getting their 2024 season off the mark.

The Dragons were handicapped by twenty-two points on the handicap coupon, the bookies in no doubt that it would be a big win for the home side.

Two sides with opening round defeats had a Sunday afternoon encounter to complete the round two fixtures as the Salford Red Devils were visited by the Castleford Tigers with the home side hot favourites for the win after running the Leeds Rhinos close last weekend.

Salford had Joe Shorrocks in for an injured Oliver Partington while the Tigers had an unchanged starting thirteen from the side which lost heavily to the Wigan Warriors in the opening round.

The Tigers were given a twelve-point start on the handicap coupon, very few people could see beyond a Salford win.

Billed as the ‘relegation decider’ it was impossible to underestimate the importance of a round twenty-two clash between Wakefield Trinity and the Castleford Tigers with the loser being cut two points adrift at the bottom of the table.

The ‘Sold Out’ notices were up days before the game and Sky changed their planned fixture to cover the game for the interested thousands who could not get ground entry.

While it was by no means all over for the losers, the winner would certainly have an advantage going into the last five games and the home support were optimistic that their side could perform an incredible Houdini-like escapes, the bookies making Trinity the slight favourites with a two-point handicap on the coupon.

Just when you thought that things couldn´t get any worse for winless second bottom side Castleford Tigers; they announce that they have lost mercurial utility-back Jake Mamo to a career ending back injury; and then they have to face a Leeds Rhinos side who arrived at the Jungle for the derby game on the back of two wins as they look to continue their good form after a disappointing start to their season.

A win for the Rhinos would lift them to third in the table ahead of the rest of the weekend games and a win by twenty-three or more points would push the Tigers into bottom spot on points difference.

The Tigers needed a ninety-six point victory to raise them up by a single place in the table.

The Rhinos were favourites with the bookies but only just, the home side having been given an eight-point start on the handicap coupon.

Today's televised Friday night match – Huddersfield v Castleford at the former's John Smith's Stadium spent much of the day in doubt.

With heavy snow sweeping across the north of England, fans woke to warnings that the game might not take place as neither club nor stadium officials could reach the  ground.

The M62 over the Pennines - which Sky's outside broadcast team needed to cross after last night's Wigan v Catalans tussle - was blocked and littered with abandoned vehicles.

Fans were warned not to set off until there was an official announcement that the match was on, but that came well into the afternoon.

With Salford Red Devils having taken the Castleford Tigers to the cleaners earlier in the afternoon, the Leeds Rhinos knew that a win in the south of France against the Catalans Dragons would ensure that they would be experiencing play off football in 2022.

A loss would make next Saturday´s final round clash with the Castleford Tigers a play off for the play offs, with a winner takes all scenario.

But Leeds coach Rohan Smith went into the game hoping to get the job done a week early and leave the last weekend as a tussle for places inside the six rather than in the six.

The Dragons have win just once in their last three outings while the Rhinos went into the game on the back of six successive wins, including a 36-32 win in Perpignan.

But Steve McNamara wasn´t going to make it easy for Leeds and named a strong side for the game, the bookies giving the Rhinos an eight point start on the handicap coupon.

 

The Huddersfield Giants had second place on their mind as they travelled the short distance to Castleford to take on a Tigers side who were looking to move into fifth place, but the Giants would be wary in the knowledge that the Tigers took the scalp of the Dragons last time out.

There were numerous changes to both sides, Paul McShane notably on the bench for the Tigers where he is usually in the starting thirteen.

The Giants had new loan signing Toby King in their side and Owen Trout in the front row.

The home side were given a two-point start in the coupon, the visitor’s slight favourites for the win.

Fresh from lifting their twentieth Challenge Cup last weekend in London, the Wigan Warriors travelled to Castleford to take on the Tigers in the knowledge that a big win would see them move above both Huddersfield and Catalans into second spot, and a win of any description would see them up to third.

Lee Radford´s Tigers side were looking to consolidate their position in the top six and put some breathing space between themselves and Hull KR in seventh, however, a heavy loss could see them drop into the bottom half of the table on points difference.

Wigan moved Jai Field into the halves in place of the injured Cade Cust and John Bateman and Morgan Smithies were also missing from the side which triumphed last week.

The home side were without the services of Mamo, Qareqare and Blair but could still field a decent seventeen.

Castleford's Mend-A-Hose Jungle played host to a clash between two widely different teams: a home club still struggling to find any consistent form in its 'new era' – despite getting two of their three wins this season over the Easter weekend - and the visiting champions St Helens, who have lost just one game in defence of their title so far and that a surprise loss to basement club Toulouse Olympique.

Following that busy schedule, Saints coach Kristian Wolf names an unfamiliar line-up after the strains of the Easter schedule, with seven young players moving up from the reserves where they regularly play together.

The Tigers' Lee Radford resisted the temptation to make whole-sale changes, but injury meant James Clare started at full-back while youngster Jason Qareqare had his first start of the year on the left wing.

It was third v eleventh at the John Smith's Stadium this afternoon as Huddersfield Giants welcomed the Tigers from Castleford.

The hosts hoped to continue the form that has seen them lose just one game of the four they’ve played so far.

The visitors record was the reverse, and they were seeking back-to-back wins to call a halt to the stuttering start of the ´New Cas Era´, made so much of in pre-season publicity.

Our pre-match Twitter Poll couldn´t choose between the two sides, despite the big difference in league positions.

Championship One side Oldham Roughyeds were massive favourites to make progress into the third round of the Challenge Cup as they faced Castleford Lock Lane from the National Conference League One in the final second round tie.

As the kick-off approached the rain started to fall but with an artificial surface it wouldn´t affect the conditions underfoot but may cause more issues with ball handling, but few gave any hope for Lock Lane as they took on a side who, on paper, were far too strong for them.

Castleford travelled to Hull KR this evening with the Roger Millward Trophy, commemorating the 1960s playmaker who graced both clubs, at stake – plus the small matter of securing a place in the title playoffs.

A win by the visitors would cement their current fifth spot and guarantee a play-off berth, while opening the prospect of a fourth place finish.

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A Rovers victory could see them leap over Leeds in sixth to take that fifth spot from the Tigers, at least until the final week.

Castleford Tigers and Salford Red Devils kicked off the Dacia Magic Weekend at St James Park in their fourth encounter of the season.

Before kick-off, the tally stood at two wins to Cast and one to the Reds Could the Tigers make their top-six play-off hopes a little more secure with a third win? Could the original Red Devils level the record and start their own climb up the table from 11th?

Castleford and Warrington brought the curtain down on the first round of Super League in an empty and windy Emerald Headingley Stadium, with both teams knowing their coach was starting his final season in charge.

Castleford were on just their second set when Jake Trueman put a teasing kick into the Wolves’ in-goal, which Josh Charnley twice failed to bat clear and Oliver Holmes charged through to ground the ball just shy of the dead-ball line.

Gareth O’Brien converted to give the Tigers a 6-0 lead.