Super League: Huddersfield 20-4 Castleford - Giants comfortably see off struggling Tigers

Esan Marsters got Huddersfield off to a great start with a try inside three minutes and they controlled the game from then on

Huddersfield comfortably beat Castleford to condemn the Tigers to a fifth consecutive Super League defeat.

The Giants went ahead through Esan Marsters' third-minute try and Jake Connor's boot stretched the lead to 10 points.

Struggling Castleford replied though Alex Mellor before the half-hour as the hosts led 10-4 at the break.

Huddersfield dominated the second half, with Innes Senior and Kevin Naiqama scoring tries to close out the victory.

The win moves the Giants above Hull FC into ninth courtesy of their far superior points difference, while the Tigers stay in 11th, with only winless Wakefield below them.

Huddersfield went ahead early on when Gareth Widdop dropped a high kick, with the hosts seizing the opportunity to send the ball wide quickly to Marsters to barge over.

Connor converted and, after Jake Bibby went close to scoring a second try, the full-back added two penalties to make it 10-0 after 22 minutes.

Castleford had been forced to soak up lots of pressure but got on the scoresheet two minutes short of the half-hour when a scrum opened up space for Mellor to crash through a gap and cross the whitewash.

Widdop sent the conversion wide and Tigers were straight back into defensive mode soon afterwards, doing well to hold up Chris McQueen on the line shortly before the break to keep the deficit at six.

Castleford started the second half with a spell of pressure and thought they had scored when Elliot Wallis raced away to the line, only to see the referee pull play back for a Huddersfield penalty.

The hosts made them pay for not coming away with points as a couple of penalties allowed the Giants to progress up the pitch, before Marsters spun a quick pass wide to Senior to cross in the corner and make it 14-4 on 49 minutes.

Huddersfield stretched their lead further after 56 minutes when Naiqama powered through a gap to finish a slick move, with Connor adding the extras to put them 16 points ahead.

The Giants should have added more to their total, but Luke Yates knocked on five metres out after being put into space by an offload.

Huddersfield coach Ian Watson:

"It was miles better from us. It looked more like us. That's what we've been speaking about as a group. It was a really good team performance.

"We started playing well from minute zero. We were playing right into the teeth of them, asking a few questions.

"Overall, it was pleasing. We would have loved to put on a few more tries at the end but I'd rather win 20-4 every week than be in a game and lose 42-40."

Castleford boss Andy Last:

"We've gone down the route of hitting them with a big stick, that hurts their confidence. They need to be told, but in the right way. We have to try and be positive, but also learn from the things that we didn't do well.

"Our effort, commitment and desire to defend I thought was very, very good. But the fundamentals of the game we just didn't do well enough. We gifted them field position.

"We had a couple of opportunities in the second half and we just didn't nail them. Then Huddersfield starved us of field possession and scored some tries off the back of it.

"We have to nail the basics of the game. The amount of errors in the play the ball, they were criminal."

Huddersfield: Lolohea, Senior, Marsters, Naiqama, Connor, Bibby, Fages, Hill, Peats, English, Cudjoe, McQueen, Yates.

Interchanges: O'Brien, Ikahihifo, Rushton, Greenwood.

Castleford: Widdop, Faraimo, Mellor, Turner, Wallis, Broadbent, Miller, Matagi, McShane, Massey, Edwards, Lawler, Westerman.

Interchanges: Mustapha, Martin, Hall, Watts

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