Castleford Tigers v Leeds Rhinos: Craig Lingard looking to cut out errors in Easter derby

There weren’t many highlights to Castleford’s 2023 season, but they did give their fans something to cheer about in round five, 12 months ago, when they picked up their first win, at visitors Leeds’ expense.

Castleford, who recorded only six victories in their entire Super League campaign, also defeated Rhinos at the Magic Weekend in June, though Leeds gained emphatic revenge in both sides’ final game of the season three months later.

Two coaches have departed Wheldon Road since Tigers’ 14-8 success last March, but the latest incumbent, Craig Lingard, will be looking to recapture some of the spirit shown that evening, in similar circumstances.

This time, the home team go into the game without a win in five league matches, one more than last year, but buoyed by a victory at Batley Bulldogs in the Challenge Cup six days ago.

“It is always significant for Castleford when they play Leeds,” said Lingard. “They are our rivals and you want to go out there and put in a good performance.

“We know how much it means to the supporters and the club so we have got to make sure we turn up and give 100 per cent. That is non-negotiable for us.”

Lingard feels he has seen positive signs, despite the five straight league defeats. He added: “The effort-based stuff has been there over the last couple of weeks, but we are looking to learn and develop through games and manage situations better.

“We are trying to make sure we are learning lessons, but we keep making the same mistakes, particularly from kick-offs and drop-outs when we are not claiming the ball.

“We need to get better and also we need to start nailing some of our attacking shapes and executions.

“Against Catalans Dragons we broke the line two or three times and had opportunities to score, but didn’t put those chances away.

“Building on the effort-based stuff, we now need to make sure our quality and execution gets a bit better.”

Leeds are on the back of successive league and Cup defeats by St Helens and Lingard is unsure what to expect from the visitors.

He observed: “They are a strange team to review and preview.

“They seem to play different in every single game, but they have threats from everywhere on the park.

“If you’ve got them coming 10 metres off your own goalline, you think you’re safe and they’re going to be kicking from deep, but a number of times this season we’ve seen them score tries from 80, 90, 95 metres.

“You don’t know what they are going to do because they are unpredictable, they like the special plays, trick plays and nowhere’s off limits.

“A lot of teams won’t play coming out of their own 20 or 30, but not Leeds. They go against the grain and try to catch lazy defenders so we have been working on staying alive on every single play. If you switch off against Leeds they will find you.”

Last year’s two defeats by Castleford effectively cost Leeds a top-six finish and qualification for the play-offs.

Their coach Rohan Smith believes Tigers have played better so far this term than results suggest.

“I’ve watched all their games this year and they’ve competed really well in some of them - despite the scoreline - and really challenged the opposition with some of their shapes and the plays they’ve been putting on,” he noted.

“It hasn’t always stuck for them, but they have definitely challenged and stretched a lot of teams and the scoreline hasn’t been reflective in lots of cases, I think.

“We are prepared for a tough battle on a small pitch. We know it’s going to be a rugged battle.”

Leeds will also have to cope with the atmosphere at the Jungle, which is always intimidating and especially so for derby matches.

Smith insisted: “I think the away players actually enjoy a bit of banter and being under pressure and close to the noise.

“That is one of the draw cards, I guess, of the English game - the crowds being right on top of the pitch and adding to the atmosphere. It is something we will embrace. We are looking forward to getting into the battle.”

A third straight loss would see pressure mount on Smith from Leeds fans hoping for a better season after several years of under-achievement.

The coach is adamant there has been “not a lot to dislike about the bulk of our performances” so far, but stressed: “We are a work in progress.

“We are getting to know each other as a team and how we want to be identified and go about it. We want to play better for longer, but we haven’t been too far off.”