St Helens secured a convincing 36‑12 victory over Castleford, relying on six different try‑scorers to stay in contention for the Super League play‑offs, even though they finished the match at the Brewdog Stadium with only ten players on the field. The weekend proved eventful for Castleford.
Their former head coach, Ryan Carr, announced on Friday that he was departing the club for personal reasons, adding another layer of drama to an already intense week. Meanwhile, St Helens also revealed a major coaching shift: Kevin Walters will take over the reins from next season, signalling a new direction for the Saints. The Australian‑led side started brightly, establishing an early advantage.
Jack Welsby, Shane Wright, Jacob Douglas, Tom Humphreys and Tristan Sailor all crossed the line before halftime, pushing the score to an imposing 30‑0 lead. Captain Jackson Hastings contributed five successful conversions, but his composure slipped later in the half. After a heated exchange with Castleford forward Tyler Dupree, Hastings was shown a red card for violent conduct.
Dupree received a sin‑bin penalty for the same incident, and tempers continued to flare as the teams headed into the tunnel. The second half offered Castleford a glimmer of hope when Nene McDonald added a sixth try for the home side, but the gap remained too wide to overcome. Later, Louis Senior and Laulu‑Togaga'e finally got on the scoreboard for Castleford, but the Saints sealed the win despite being reduced to ten men after Alex Walmsley and Chris Matagi each spent time in the sin‑bin.
Interim Saints coach Eamon O'Carroll told BBC Radio Merseyside, "I wanted to see the attitude of the players, and what better way to display that than when you go down to ten men for 45 minutes? The players were fantastic. We simplified a few things, which probably helped, because everyone knew what the role was and their position." Castleford’s director of rugby, Chris Chester, commented to Sky Sports on Hastings’ dismissal: "Scott Murrell just jumped in the way of Dupree.
We all know the rules – you can't punch people in the face. We'll let the disciplinary panel deal with those kinds of things. That's what they're there for." Beyond the Saints‑Castleford clash, the Super League round delivered more intrigue. Hull KR suffered a second home defeat of the week, falling 32‑12 to Toulouse after a relentless second‑half performance at Craven Park.
The Robins had previously been beaten by play‑off rivals Warrington, prompting head coach Willie Peters to drop Tevita Pangai Junior and Mikey Lewis following bans handed down after their 34‑28 loss to the Wolves. Toulouse opened the scoring early, with Mathieu Jussaume breaking through on the right side after twenty minutes.
The defending champions, desperate for a home play‑off spot, sparked back when substitute Elliot Minchella touched down in the 35th minute after a surge from Peta Hiku, and Rhyse Martin added the conversion to level the scores at 6‑6 at the break. In the second half, Toulouse chose to kick for a penalty, but Cesar Rouge’s 35‑metre attempt struck the crossbar. The French side kept the pressure on, and at the 57‑minute mark Benjamin Laguerre burst down the left and fed Romeo Tropis for a try under the posts.
Anthony Marion later added another try after a kick‑through, his score confirmed after a lengthy video review showed the ball was grounded despite an initial appearance of a hold‑up by Hull KR. Hull KR, who will face league leaders Wigan next week, collapsed again when Paul Ulberg found space on the left corner at 65 minutes, allowing Tropis to dash through the opposite channel for a second try.
Luke Polselli capped the scoring for Toulouse with a late effort after a kick rebounded off the post, while Louix Gorman secured a consolation try for the home side in the final minutes. In another thrilling encounter, Hull’s half‑back Jake Arthur delivered a decisive drop goal to clinch a 27‑26 win over Catalans Dragons at the Gilbert Brutus Stadium.
Arthur’s one‑point kick, taken with six minutes remaining, sealed Hull’s second victory in ten Super League games. The Hull side had trailed 26‑14 early in the second half but rallied with converted tries from Harvie Hill and Aidan Sezer, leveling the scores before Arthur’s match‑winning effort. Catalans had taken an early lead through tries from Logan Moy and Lewis Martin, and were ahead 14‑12 at halftime after Charlie Staines and Kruise Leeming added scores for the visitors. In the second period, Edenn Rogers‑Smith and Leo Darrelatour each crossed for Catalans, sandwiching a penalty from Guillermo Aispuro‑Bichet, extending their lead to 26‑14.
Hull’s resurgence, sparked by Hill and Sezer’s rapid back‑to‑back tries, demonstrated the team’s resilience. Interim head coach Andy Last praised his players, saying, "It was a nail‑biting game, it went right down to the wire. I'm just really proud of the playing group.
I spoke all week about showing our personality and our performance when it gets tough and to make sure you answer those questions with your effort and your actions." The results saw Hull climb one place to 11th in the league table, while Catalans slipped to ninth after their 15th defeat of the season. Sky Sports will broadcast every Super League match live this season, with two fixtures each round shown exclusively, and the remaining five matches available on Sky Sports+.