Hull KR 26 Castleford Tigers 24: Castleford denied as Robins produce late win

The Robins coach is leaving at the end of the season, returning home Down Under, but Saturday’s nail-biting win over rivals Castleford means they pipped the Tigers to the end-of-season play-offs despite the visitors being in the top eight all season until the last week of the season.

Last weekend they were thrashed on their own turf by Hull FC, and while this contest was too close to call until the final hooter, successive defeats by the two Hull clubs mean Terry Matterson’s own coaching stint at Tigers ends on a low note.

But battling Castleford can hold their head high for their part in a rollercoaster of a game which was only settled by Sam Latus’s late try for the Robins.

Victory saw Hull KR secure seventh spot in Super League, and they will travel to Catalan Dragons next Saturday evening.

The patched-up Tigers, who had 10 players missing through injury or suspension, had been written off in some quarters before kick-off, but they started well and Nathan Massey was held just short of the line as they piled on the early pressure.

Their dominance paid when Adam Milner broke away, the supporting Danny Orr going over for the opening try of the evening. The Castleford scrum-half added the conversion to give them a 6-0 advantage after 12 minutes, but the lead did not last long.

A flowing passing move involving Blake Green, Kris Welham and Craig Hall saw the ball move swifty through the Tigers defence and Michael Dobson finished off the move before adding the conversion himself.

The Robins had the impetus now and it was no surprise to see them go ahead with probably the most popular scorer inside Craven Park.

Captain Mick Vella – playing his last home match before retirement – crashed over from close-range to spark huge celebrations on the terraces, and the main stand afforded him a standing ovation as he was promptly substituted.

Dobson’s conversion made it 12-6 and now it was a test of Castleford’s character to see if they could respond.

The visitors should have evened the try count in the 32nd minute. Second row Stuart Jones found himself one-on-one but seemed to slow down instead of charging forward and the chance was gone as he was tackled short of the in-goal area.

Rangi Chase, usually the Tigers talisman, had been unusually quiet so far but he came to life with a stunning piece of skill.

He ran across the line, teasing the Rovers defence, offering the ball several times, before flicking a reverse pass to the on-rushing Richard Owen to trot over for Castleford’s second try, goaled by Orr.

Nick Fozzard, facing his former club, gave away a penalty in the 38th minute for a high tackle and Dobson slotted it over from 30 metres, before winger Latus crashed over in the corner to give Rovers an 18-12 lead. Referee Richard Silverwood upset the locals six minutes after the restart, when he failed to penalise Oliver Holmes for what they thought was a high tackle on Welham as he went to ground the ball. The impact saw the Hull KR centre lose control of the ball and the chance was gone, Silverwood judging the tackle was fair.

And their mood did not improve moments later when the Tigers went straight up the pitch, Steve Snitch crashing over after some sustained pressure.

Orr’s conversion restored parity once more, at 18-18, but the hosts knew a draw would be enough to retain eighth place and a play-off spot.

An error by Owen at the play-the-ball gifted possession to Rovers who made the most of their chance, Jake Webster getting on the end of Green’s kick to the corner.

Dobson though shaved the post with his conversion attempt, then Briscoe was unable to collect Hall’s ambitious offload as the hosts looked to build a winning lead.

But the drama was far from over. First the game tilted back in Tigers’ favour as Jordan Thompson went over after a terrific length-of-field break from Joe Arundel, Orr converting, before Latus’s second try of the evening finally earned Hull KR a memorable victory.

Hull KR: Briscoe, Latus, Welham, Webster, Hall, Green, Dobson, Vella, Hodgson, Taylor, Newton, Galea, Watts. Substitutes: Fisher, Murrell, Lovegrove, Cox.

Castleford: Owen, Arundel, Widders, Isa, Thompson, Chase, Orr, Fozzard, Milner, Massey, Jones, Holmes, Hudson. Substitutes: Snitch, Davies, Clark, Parker.

Referee: R Silverwood (Mirfield).