Mum’s the word as Orr gets opportunity to upset mentor in Cup

Orr, who took over from sacked Ian Millward last week, takes Castleford to McDermott’s Leeds Rhinos in tomorrow night’s Challenge Cup fourth round tie. He only retired from playing for the Tigers a few months ago to join their backroom staff yet had an instant impact in the main job as they ended a seven-game losing run with victory over Widnes at Wheldon Road on Saturday. Headingley will be a different prospect entirely but McDermott, who made Orr the fulcrum of his Quins side after signing the scrum-half from Wigan in 2006, admits his former protege always had a coach’s eye. “Danny’s got the temperament and certainly he’s not an irrational thinker,” he said. “He’s very reserved in his thoughts and doesn’t just pinball them. “He’d come and see me and suggest things we might do. Sometimes they’d help me in my thinking and the way I was coaching Quins. “He was pretty consistent with his thoughts. I always liked that; he didn’t read something in a magazine or on a website then suggest it to me. “You could tell he had a good temperament and I’m glad Cas have shown faith in him for the short term but I 100 per cent agree that it’s too early for him. That’s not anything to do with Danny, that’s just the way it is. “You have to do an apprenticeship and I’m glad he’s aware of that. But I’m sure in the short-term he’s more than capable.” Former Great Britain international Orr, 34, spent four years at Harlequins, playing more than 100 games before re-joining home-town Castleford at the end of 2010. McDermott recalled: “When he first came down (to London) he was living in a house with Louie McCarthy-Scarsbrook, Lamont Bryan, Will Sharp and a couple of others, who were all as mad as a box of frogs. “So, they needed some guidance and I think Danny was mum for a while. He did all their cooking and cleaning for them. He had a bit of a rough run as he was living away from his family for a good few months. “His wife was with the kids up north and he was down south but he was one of the best signings I made when I was there because of the whole package of him.” McDermott continued: “He influenced a fair bit of what we did both on and off the field. “Before you even start to talk about what we did tactically, he was the ultimate professional. “I remember recruiting Danny and some of the things I knew about how he played and his stats, you’d recruit him on those alone. “But I also knew what type of bloke he was. One of the reasons I signed him was to bring that level of professionalism down. “While we had a bit of a turbulent time at Quins – we never quite achieved what we wanted – at the same time we turned the club around and he was a massive part of that. He gave his all and helped me massively.” McDermott left London for Leeds at the same time as Orr returned and has gone on to enjoy rich success at Headingley with two successive Grand Final wins and a World Club Challenge. Though he has guided them to two Challenge Cup finals as well, that trophy still eludes them, something Castleford will hope to maintain by causing a shock. McDermott’s door remains open, however, and he added: “Of course I’d give Danny advice. Mine would be not to get too wrapped up in trying to get game plans right. I’m sure he won’t need much help from me, though, as he lived and breathed it.” Meanwhile, Millward has spoken about his dismissal for the first time saying it was “very amicable” with chairman Jack Fulton but warning there is a “big challenge” ahead for whoever does become head coach. England star Rangi Chase seems certain to join St George-Illawarra and Warrington are ready to test the club’s resolve with another bid for young hooker Daryl Clark. Castleford chief executive Steve Gill has reported plenty of interest in the vacancy but Millward said: “The first question they need to ask is what sort of system and resources they will have salary-wise. “It’s well documented only Wakefield and Cas don’t spend the full cap. A lot of things have been put on hold at Cas because they want a new stadium but is there going to be a new stadium?”