Castleford Tigers and York Knights each responded to last week’s defeats with wins in Friday’s Super League fixtures. Castleford comfortably beat Huddersfield Giants 34-8 to record their first victory of the season, while York edged Hull FC 17-16 on the road.
At The Jungle, Castleford dominated after taking an early lead through Liam Hood, who opened the scoring with his second try of the campaign. Darnell McIntosh, facing his former club, added another for the hosts and Huddersfield were reduced to 12 men when Taane Milne was sin-binned. From the ensuing penalty George Lawler found space to help extend Castleford’s advantage. Jacob Gagai produced a rare fluent move for the visitors before half-time to make it 16-4.
Tom Weaver was a constant threat for Castleford, capitalising on a Daejarn Asi grubber and later adding a second try. Huddersfield’s George Flanagan replied with his fourth score of the year, but a try from debutant Ashton Golding — also up against his old team — helped seal the win. The Giants pressed Castleford’s goal line late on but could not mount a comeback. Huddersfield head coach Luke Robinson admitted his side were well below their standards, lamenting repeated handling errors, while Castleford boss Ryan Carr praised his players’ resilience and willingness to battle for the full 80 minutes.
In Hull, Super League newcomers York claimed a dramatic 17-16 victory. David Nofoaluma made an immediate impression on his Knights debut, scoring twice — the first finishing a flowing, wide move. Hull hit back before half-time when Davy Litten powered through from a scrum play and Harvey Barron’s effort put the hosts 10-6 ahead at the break.
An early second-half error by Hull allowed Nofoaluma to score his second, and Ben Jones-Bishop’s corner try put York in front. Danny Richardson’s drop-goal pushed the lead to seven. Hull rallied late when Lewis Martin crossed, but could not overturn the deficit; the hosts were also hit by injuries to Harvey Barron and Aidan Sezer during a frustrating evening for the Black and Whites.
York head coach Mark Applegarth underlined the club’s focus on taking things week by week and praised the team’s togetherness and self-belief. Hull coach John Cartwright said his side “lost our way” after the interval, conceding a couple of tries that cost them the game.