Doncaster 0 Castleford Tigers 14: Not picture perfect but job done for Ryan Carr
At the start of the season, there is always a debate over what matters most: performance or result.
A win delivers a short-term boost but a strong display offers more encouragement in the long run.
On Saturday, the result was king as Ryan Carr kicked off his reign as Castleford Tigers head coach in earnest.
That the Tigers secured victory despite a scratchy attacking showing will be of little concern to the Australian.
After all, his side are fresh out of pre-season and the unrelenting wet weather is hardly conducive to free-flowing rugby.
There was enough in the performance to encourage Carr, not least the shutout thanks to a committed defensive effort.
Twelve months on from the dismal defeat to Bradford Bulls, it was a case of job done for the Tigers against Championship opposition in the Challenge Cup.
Carr has been tasked with rebuilding belief at a club starved of stability and this was a positive first step in conditions not too dissimilar to last year's Odsal mudbath, albeit at one of the cosiest third-round venues.
Doncaster, who have already seen off Halifax Panthers and the resurgent Newcastle Thunder on home soil this year, provided the perfect sparring partner for Castleford a week out from a testing Super League opener against Wigan Warriors.
The dogged Dons restricted their top-flight visitors to two tries from Joe Stimson and lively full-back Blake Taaffe, one of nine debutants.
Castleford's reward for a hard-fought win is a place in Monday's last-16 draw, an immediate improvement on last year.
While they must find another level to challenge Wigan, it is a start.
There were flashes of encouragement for the strong travelling contingent in the opening quarter but a Doncaster side featuring seven former Castleford players more than held their own after surviving breaks from Mikaele Ravalawa and fellow off-season recruit Liam Hood.
When the opening try eventually arrived, it owed to an injection of intent from Alex Mellor.
The Castleford captain lifted the tempo with a strong carry from a penalty and his team-mates went with him.
After benefiting from a six-again call – one of countless set restarts amid a crackdown on slow rucks – the Tigers marched towards the tryline and Doncaster were powerless to prevent Stimson from crashing over.
An error from the restart by Jason Qareqare typified a sloppy performance but Castleford summoned the workmanlike qualities required to keep the Dons at bay.
The Tigers could breathe a sigh of relief when Daejarn Asi passed a head injury assessment, keeping him in contention for the clash with Wigan, yet still struggled for rhythm in worsening conditions.
Even a 10-minute spell with an extra man came and went without success following Titus Gwaze's yellow card for a professional foul.
Half-time gave Carr a chance to hammer home his message but Doncaster showed no signs of budging after the interval.
Indeed, the Dons came close to levelling the scores when Connor Jones knocked on with the tryline begging.
If that fumble could be blamed on a greasy ball, Taaffe had no such excuse after ignoring Qareqare and coming up short in a promising position.
Crucially for the Tigers, the full-back quickly atoned for the misread by scoring the second try they craved with an angled run that showcased his speed.
That moment of quality was the outlier in a match for the purists.
Tom Weaver completed the scoring with his third goal from a penalty but the match ended with a rousing rendition of 'Stand up if you love the Dons' in recognition of a proud effort from the hosts.
Doncaster: Holmes, Briscoe, Lyne, Glover, Gebbie, Robinson, Aston, Knowles, Burns, Springer, Sutcliffe, Johnson, Mustapha. Substitutes: Pauli, Jones, Hepi, Gwaze.
Sin bin: Gwaze (36).
Castleford Tigers: Taaffe, Ravalawa, McIntosh, Mapapalangi, Qareqare, Asi, Weaver, Atoni, Hood, Lawler, Lane, Mellor, Stimson. Substitutes: Greacen, Hall, Westerman, Atkin.
Tries: Stimson (23), Taaffe (52).
Goals: Weaver 3/3.
Referee: Tom Grant.