Leeds Rhinos 22 Castleford Tigers 4: Hosts keep Las Vegas hangover at bay to claim derby spoils

The difficulty lies in bottling up that feeling of invincibility once the bright lights have dimmed.

Seven days after dazzling in the entertainment capital of the world, the Rhinos returned to domestic reality against familiar foes at Headingley.

Rugby league history is littered with examples of teams struggling to hit the same heights in the aftermath of a landmark occasion and that was the case for Leeds on Sunday afternoon.

But this Rhinos team are made of sterner stuff under Brad Arthur. Far from their best and with last week's exertions still evident, they were professional enough to get the job done as they swapped glitz for grit.

If anyone was still riding the Vegas high, it was Maika Sivo who marked the homecoming with another hat-trick.

Sivo has scored nine tries in his first three games for the Rhinos, a far cry from last year when he sat out the entire season through injury.

The injection of fresh energy came from teenage half-back George Brown who celebrated his Headingley debut with a first Super League try.

There was little else to separate the West Yorkshire rivals on a day when Castleford Tigers showed more green shoots of progress but ultimately lacked the quality to stay with the Rhinos.

Fresh from getting off the mark against Huddersfield Giants, the Tigers had only Mikaele Ravalawa's try to show for their efforts in front of a crowd of 15,301.

Ravalawa struggled under the high ball but he was not alone on a frustrating afternoon for Ryan Carr's side.

The spoils went to Leeds, the home team demonstrating the other side of their game in a third straight win. The Rhinos were scratchy for the most part but still had too much for their old foes.

A world away from the Vegas drubbing of Hull KR it may have been but these are often the wins that matter most in the long run.

There were signs of sluggishness from the Rhinos in the early stages, typified by Cooper Jenkins – fresh from a late double in Sin City – dropping the ball cold.

Leeds slowly warmed to the task and hit the front in the 11th minute, Keenan Palasia producing an NFL-style pass to send Brown in under the sticks after Ravalawa made a meal of Jake Connor's high kick.

But those fortunes flipped minutes later as Castleford got their reward for a bright start.

Palasia gifted the Tigers possession with a loose offload and he was punished by Ravalawa in the next set, the powerful winger proving too strong from close range.

But the Fijian's defensive frailties were on show once again for Leeds' second try.

After Tom Weaver put his team under pressure with a short drop-out that went wrong, Ravalawa's poor effort allowed Sivo to coast in.

Connor missed from the touchline but the Rhinos had a 10-4 lead they just about merited.

It was far from plain sailing for Arthur's men, however.

Ash Handley left the field before half-time and there was frustration for the hosts when Cameron Smith was adjudged to have knocked on over the line.

For their part, Castleford were dogged, only to let themselves down with fundamental errors.

They were in the game, though, and would have been hoping to take advantage of weary legs after the interval.

But, importantly, the Rhinos struck first once the action resumed through the irrepressible Sivo, even if his second try was his easiest yet. Lachie Miller patted Connor's steepling kick back to Kallum Watkins, whose raking pass gave Sivo an easy finish out wide.

Castleford sides of the recent past may have caved but Carr's men kept pushing, Zac Cini breaking the line before seeing a try ruled out for a knock-on by Krystian Mapapalangi.

That was as close as the Tigers came to threatening the hosts' lead, however, and they were out of the contest when Sivo tiptoed down the touchline to finish a sweeping move to the left and complete his treble.

Joe Westerman went close to marking his 400th Super League appearance with a try but it was not Castleford's afternoon.

Leeds Rhinos: Miller, Sivo, Newman, Handley, Hall, Brown, Connor, Jenkins, Levi, Palasia, Watkins, O'Neill, Smith. Substitutes: O'Connor, Holroyd, Hankinson, Mata'utia.

Tries: Brown (11), Sivo (29, 46, 54).

Goals: Connor 3/4.

Castleford Tigers: Cini, Ravalawa, McIntosh, Mapapalangi, Qareqare, Asi, Weaver, Atoni, Hood, Westerman, Lane, Hirst, Stimson. Substitutes: Golding, Ashworth, Hall, Lawler.

Tries: Ravalawa (18).

Goals: Weaver 0/1.

Referee: James Vella.