Video - Hull FC 21 Castleford 18: Depleted Hull turn tables to stun rivals Tigers

Castleford Tigers did just that to a bemused Hull FC in the second half of a fascinating match yesterday.

Unfortunately for them, though, it was almost the only decent thing they did produce in a dire 40 minutes that descended into chaos at times as they badly squandered a 14-6 interval lead.

Instead Hull, shrugging off the loss of a raft of key personnel, produced the class and duly ended their opponents’ five-game winning run while taking a huge step towards securing their own top-eight place.

Having recovered to lead 
21-14 courtesy of tries from Tommy Lineham (2) and Jordan Abdull, Benny Roberts scored a 77th minute try to give Castleford a little hope.

They pushed hard at the end, Denny Solomona almost scorching away for a hat-trick, but they conceded a penalty for a needless high shot to relieve the pressure for the hosts in the final minute.

Typically for the frenetic nature of this contest, though, the excellent Hull prop Liam Watts still saw possession directly stolen from him by Adam Milner – only for the Castleford hooker to immediately throw it away again. Chaos indeed.

Hull coach Lee Radford was able to see the funny side.

“That last carry by Liam Watts sums it up – hold the ball in your right hand, run left and hang an advertising board out for them to come and steal it!” he said.

“They like to make life hard for me. I think I aged about 10 years in that last five minutes.

“But I am over the moon and you can’t question their effort. We beat a quality side. With the players we had missing it was a real credit to the 17 that turned out.

“The tempo of the ruck in the first half had a knock on effect for us but we got to grips with that in second half. We slowed it down defensively and got more energy.

“Tommy was huge with his tries. He was adamant he got the one just on half-time, too, that got ruled out.”

Hull handed a debut to 19-year-old Academy product Brad Fash after captain Gareth Ellis strained his back training on Friday, becoming a fourth forward missing alongside Mickey Paea, Mark Minichiello and Feka Palea’aesina.

But no one could have envisaged them winning given the way Castleford set about their own affairs in the first half, Junior Moors and Mike McMeeken causing carnage down the right.

McMeeken delivered a quality pass for in-form Solomona to dive in after just five minutes though Hull quickly responded when Leon Pryce’s flat pass saw Richard Whiting surge through a gap for Marc Sneyd to add the first of his two conversions.

Jake Webster, seemingly all covered up close to the Hull line, squeezed out an improbable offload for Luke Dorn to cross in the 17th minute after Hull full-back Jordan Rankin had dropped the Australian scorer’s high kick.

Liam Finn converted – crucially he managed just one from four attempts filling in for the ill Luke Gale – before Daryl Powell’s side added a third try in the 33rd minute via two brilliant passes from Moors and McMeeken, Solomona taking his scoring run to 13 in just the last six games.

Another Moors offload seemed to have put Dorn in for his second soon after but Rankin somehow held the Australian up over the line and, for all their class and exuberance in that first half, Castleford were perhaps fortunate to go in 14-6 ahead after Lineham had the effort ruled out with just nine seconds remaining.

Hull took full control in that second period, though, with Jordan Abdull getting them going in the 45th minute.

Grant Millington then did brilliantly to deny Hull captain Danny Houghton over the line and Fetuli Talanoa was also held up but the pressure eventually told as, with Moors forcing one too many offloads, Rankin found Lineham who produced a spectacular dive into the corner on 59 minutes to take the lead.

Castleford – who missed the chance to go fourth – opted against a kickable penalty to level and it backfired as they came away with nothing.

Instead, the dangerous Rankin exposed some wretched defence to send Lineham in for his second.

Sneyd could not convert but slotted a drop goal to make it 
21-14 with nine minutes to go and Radford’s side, despite Roberts’s effort and Pryce being sin-binned for complaining, held on.

It means they can secure their top eight spot with victory at Hull KR on Friday – and end their bitter rivals’ play-offs hopes at the same time too.

Hull FC: Rankin; Lineham, Talanoa, Logan, Michels; Pryce, Sneyd; Watts, Houghton, Bowden, Hadley, Whiting, Westerman. Substitutes: Green, Thompson, Abdull, Fash.

Castleford Tigers: Dorn; Solomona, Webster, Shenton, Carney; Finn, Roberts; Lynch, Milner, Millington, Holmes, McMeeken, Cook. Substitutes: Boyle, Moors, Moore, Springer.

Referee: J Cobb (Manchester).