Castleford Tigers 6 Wakefield Trinity 32: Lewis Murphy stars as visitors' stunning win boosts Super League survival hopes
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Coupled with Toulouse Olympique’s 30-4 home loss to Hull in Friday evening’s earlier kick-off, Trinity’s stunning 32-6 success lifted them off the foot of Betfred Super League.
Not only that, but the margin in both games wiped out Toulouse’s advantage on for and against, giving Trinity’s survival hopes an enormous boost.
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Hide AdWakefield’s previous win over Castleford had been in February, 2015, but they outplayed their fifth-placed opponents who were 30-0 down before getting points on the board in the final quarter.
It was an outstanding team effort by Wakefield, who were full value for an 18-0 half-time lead and never looked in danger after scoring first in the second period.
Castleford were poor, making a host of errors, but Wakefield were slick with the ball and scrambled well in defence.
Liam Hood broke the deadlock after 15 minutes, twisting over from acting-half after Daniel Smith’s terrific tackle had kept out Jacob Miller, who was hugely influential for the visitors.
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Hide AdFull-back Jamie Shaul, on-loan from Hull, thought he had increased the lead eight minutes later, but referee Robert Hicks handed the decision on and video assistant Jack Smith ruled the Trinity man had been tackled into touch by Jake Mamo and Kenny Edwards.
Smith was back in action almost immediately when Wakefield’s Lewis Murphy claimed a touchdown after rising above Bureta Faraimo from Miller’s kick.
Hicks said no, but this time he was overruled. Only a desperate chase back by Mamo denied Murphy a second try and the impressive young winger was involved in a potential 12-point turnaround four minutes before the interval.
Faraimo appeared to have squeezed over at the corner, Hicks indicated a try, but Smith decided there was enough evidence to overturn that.
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Hide AdIt was outstanding defence by Murphy and Lee Gaskell and rather than going in at the break 12-6 ahead, Trinity extended their lead in the next set, on the back of a penalty, Matty Ashurst racing in from Miller’s pass after he received the ball from Lino.
Tigers were pressing strongly nine minutes after the interval when Miller fielded a poor kick from Danny Richardson close to Wakefield’s line, slipped the ball to Murphy and he raced 80 metres for a try which, once Lino had added his fourth conversion, made it 24-0.
Things got even better for the visitors just before the hour when Jason Qareqare lost the ball in Hood’s tackle 20 metres from Cas’ line and Dave Fifita picked up to blast over the top of a host of defenders on an incredible charge to the line.
Moments later Richardson touched down from his own kick, which Lino failed to deal with and added the conversion, but that was as good as it got for Tigers.
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Hide AdTrinity completed the scoring five minutes from time when Castleford were penalised for taking too long over a goal line drop out and Lino landed the resulting kick.
Castleford Tigers: Mamo, Faraimo, Sutcliffe, Fonua, Olpherts, Eden, Richardson, Griffin, McShane, Smith, Edwards, Milner, Westerman. Subs Watts, Lawler, Matagi, Qareqare.
Wakefield Trinity: Shaul, Kershaw, Hall, Gaskell, Murphy, Miller, Lino, Arona, Hood, Whitbread, Batchelor, Ashurst, Crowther. Subs Battye, Aydin, Fifita, Bowden.
Referee: Robert Hicks (Oldham).
Attendance: 6,796.