St Helens strengthened their play-off bid with a 36-12 victory over Castleford at the Brewdog Stadium, running in tries from six different scorers to secure the result.
The game came amid off-field upheaval for both clubs. Castleford confirmed the departure of former head coach Ryan Carr for “personal reasons” during the week, while St Helens announced Kevin Walters will take over as head coach next season.
Saints dominated the first half, pulling clear before the interval with tries from Jack Welsby, Shane Wright, Jacob Douglas, Tom Humphreys and Tristan Sailor to lead 30-0. Jackson Hastings had converted five goals but was sent off for violent conduct after an altercation with Tyler Dupree; Dupree was also sin-binned for the incident. Tempers remained high as the teams went in at half-time.
After the break, Nene McDonald crossed for a sixth Saints try, making a Castleford comeback increasingly unlikely. The Tigers eventually got on the scoreboard through Louis Senior and Laulu-Togaga’e, but St Helens finished the match with 10 men after Alex Walmsley and Chris Matagi were both sin-binned late on.
Interim Saints boss Eamon O’Carroll praised his players’ attitude, saying he wanted to see how they reacted when reduced to 10 men and that simplifying roles had helped the group execute the game plan. Castleford director of rugby Chris Chester condemned Hastings’ actions and said the disciplinary process would follow.
Elsewhere, Toulouse Olympique produced a ruthless second half to claim a 32-12 victory at Hull KR’s Craven Park. The visitors took control after a cagey opening period, with Mathieu Jussaume scoring the opening try and Toulouse eventually pulling away in the second half. Hull KR had levelled at 6-6 through a try by substitute Elliot Minchella and a Rhyse Martin conversion, but Toulouse regained the lead and extended it through efforts by Benjamin Laguerre, Romeo Tropis, Luke Polselli and Anthony Marion.
Hull KR, who had already suffered a midweek home defeat to Warrington, continue to search for consistency. Head coach Willie Peters had dropped Tevita Pangai Junior and Mikey Lewis following disciplinary matters earlier in the week. Toulouse’s performance was clinical at key moments and handed the Robins another home setback.
In a separate clash, Hull FC edged Catalans Dragons 27-26 as half-back Jake Arthur slotted a late drop goal with six minutes remaining to seal a sensational comeback at the Gilbert Brutus Stadium. Hull trailed 26-14 early in the second half after Catalans had pulled clear, but two quick converted tries from Harvie Hill and Aidan Sezer drew Hull level before Arthur’s decisive one-pointer.
Hull had taken an early lead through Logan Moy and Lewis Martin and were 14-12 up at the break after Catalans responded with scores from Charlie Staines and Kruise Leeming. Catalans then opened up a 12-point advantage in the second half, but Hull’s resilience and late pressure turned the game around. The win lifts Hull one place to 11th in the table, while Catalans remain ninth after suffering their 15th defeat of the season. Interim Hull coach Andy Last hailed his side’s spirit and effort under pressure.
The slate of results keeps the Super League play-off picture tight as the run-in continues, with several clubs still in contention for the remaining spots.