Featherstone Rovers 23 Castleford Tigers 16: Derby win evokes Wembley memories for Rovers

The Castleford legends, who enjoyed so much Challenge Cup joy – Reilly as 1969 Lance Todd Trophy winner and later as coach to Joyner’s victorious Wembley captain in 1986 – were frustrated spectators sat next to each other at an atmospheric Post Office Road on Saturday.

Featherstone Rovers, arch-rivals from a couple of miles up the road, shrugged off their lower division status to utterly outplay Super League opponents in a fittingly compelling derby affair.

Even Reilly and Joyner’s craft and guile would have done little to penetrate the sterling Rovers defence on which this fourth round victory was built. Just ask Rangi Chase.

The Tigers stand-off may be reigning Man of Steel given his consistently mesmeric and defence-splitting displays but, here, all he found at every turn was a dense smog consisting of fearless, hungry Rovers tacklers.

Rarely has the dancing England star, still suffering nightmares after missing the drop goal that would have sent Castleford to Wembley last season, been shut down so comprehensively.

His bemused team-mates all suffered the same fate too.

Right from the off when Tim Spears thundered into Brett Ferres and duly dumped him on his backside, to the very last seconds as James Lockwood similarly smashed Stuart Jones with yet another ferocious hit, driven Featherstone were simply outstanding.

After Castleford hooker Daryl Clark squeezed over for a dubious fifth-minute try, the Championship club could have froze. Instead, they instantly delivered as good a defensive set as you would see in the upper echelons of Super League as they snarled away, preventing the Tigers from escaping their own 20m area.

The tone was duly set and there was no chance these part-timers would ever tire; their hard drive, with veteran prop Stuart Dickens peerless, was relentless.

Yet it was difficult to know what to praise more; that tremendous defensive resilience or the freshness of their attacking audacity.

Four tries inside 19 breathless first-half minutes, a spell during which Jonny Hepworth proved a revelation at loose forward, put Championship Featherstone in control and the verve they displayed in creating those was delightful.

The beneficiaries were Tangi Ropati, Kyle Briggs – after Clark was yellow-carded for holding down the breakaway Hepworth – Ian Hardman and Greg Worthington.

Expansive Rovers continually pushed to their left where, every time, Castleford looked vulnerable, Hepworth one of five ex-Tigers in the Rovers ranks – picking out holes almost at will to set up a 20-6 lead and send their fans delirious.

Rovers’ Daryl Powell rated it right at the top of his coaching achievements and said: “We thought we could find some space on the edges and that plan materialised with Jonny Hepworth’s pace.

“He’s been coming back from injury and it’s been taking him a while but I just had a feeling this was the game to really ignite him.

“He was outstanding as everybody was the full 17 put in a massive effort.”

Tigers winger Josh Griffin finished off as Clark made a rare cutting break before the interval but Liam Finn’s penalty extended the lead to 22-10 on 57 minutes when Jake Emmitt kicked out at Lockwood, just the sort of needless ill-discipline which hurt Castleford all afternoon.

The defining spell came shortly after that though when Featherstone somehow survived four successive sets on their own line.

The manner in which they remained so organised, solid and unyielding was deserving of a place in this afternoon’s fifth-round draw alone.

“We just had to keep them out,” added an ecstatic Powell, who had seen his side concede 60 points against Sheffield Eagles just a week earlier.

“There were periods I thought we were wavering but we just kept turning up for each other. Conceding that early try could have rattled us but I’m delighted it didn’t.

“We really bent some ribs with the way we hit and we needed to dictate defensively, be tough and aggressive.

“Rangi Chase is one of the world’s best players who can do unbelievable things so to dictate to him like we did was a special effort.”

It was not until the 68th minute that Chase finally provided a penetrative pass to put Nick Youngest over, Orr’s fine touchline conversion bringing his more experienced side back in touching distance.

But it was anxious Castleford who spluttered, dropping more ball and conceding yet another soft penalty to gift nerveless Finn position to slot over the drop goal off his weaker left boot that confirmed a famous triumph.

As Reilly and Joyner stood up to leave with seconds remaining, who did they have to usher past but Allan Agar, Featherstone’s own cup-winning Wembley hero from 1983.

The current Rovers squad may not have lifted the trophy like him but fans who rushed onto the pitch in celebration will remember Saturday’s spectacular performance just as warmly for years to come.

Featherstone: Hardman; Ropati, Smeaton, Worthington, Saxton; Briggs, Finn; Dickens, Kaye, Lockwood, Dale, Spears, Hepworth. Substitutes: Kain, Haley, Grayshon.

Castleford: Owen; Griffin, Dixon, Ferres, Youngquest; Chase, Orr; Massey, Clark, Walker, Snitch, Holmes, Emmitt. Substitutes: Huby, Jones, Millington, McGoldrick.

Referee: B Thaler (Wakefield).

Beating Cas was just like winning the Grand Final – Dickens

HEROIC captain Stuart Dickens rated the shock Challenge Cup win over Castleford Tigers as one of his greatest moments in a Featherstone Rovers career which has spanned more than 400 games.

The industrious prop looked Super League class as he led from the front for the Championship part-timers on Saturday.

He was back in work at Ferrybridge Power Station at 8am yesterday morning but had few complaints following a stunning 23-16 fourth-round success over their illustrious derby rivals.

“That feeling was as good as winning the Grand Final,” Dickens told the Yorkshire Post, referring to last autumn’s Championship glory against Sheffield Eagles.

“Being a massive local derby, against a Super League side, with a great crowd down here and in front of the TV cameras, too, it was just amazing.

“It’s also, in all these years, the first time I’ve beaten Castleford in anything other than a friendly, but all the lads were just outstanding.

“That 15-minute spell in the second half when we kept them out after being stuck on our own line was just magnificent.

“I still didn’t think we’d won it as Cas are too good a side but when Finny scored the drop goal to give us a bit of a cushion we knew it.”

Rovers, who will discover their opponents for a place in the quarter-finals this afternoon, return to Championship action at Swinton on Sunday missing Matty Dale (medial ligament) and Tangi Ropati (broken jaw) after they came off injured.

Castleford, who lost to Barrow two years ago, welcomed back prop Craig Huby after a year out injured but saw Richie Owen and Kirk Dixon both limp off.

Frustrated coach Ian Millward said: “That’s not the reason we lost.

“Richie Owen probably shouldn’t have played but said he wanted to. I still thought we were good enough with 15 to win.

“You’ve got to acknowledge how good Featherstone were. The only thing I was surprised about was us.

“From a mental point of view we fell very short. I thought we looked tired and I don’t think anyone played to the best of their ability.

In the first half our defence was poor and in the second half it was our attack.

“That’s what has cost us,” added Millward.