Super League: Castleford Tigers boost top five hopes with 24-0 win at struggling Huddersfield

Castleford boosted their Super League play-off hopes with a four-try win as they 'nilled' Huddersfield to leave the Giants in serious relegation danger.

James Clare's early try proved to be the only points in a tight first half.

Adam Milner, Mike McMeeken and Jesse Sene-Lefao then all went over after the break as the Tigers won comfortably.

Defeat for the Giants means that they remain level on points with bottom side London Broncos and Hull KR, who lost to relegation rivals Wakefield on Sunday.

They had some chances to get on the scoreboard in the first half but never recovered once Milner crashed over for Castleford's second score.

Simon Woolford's men now face tough trips to play-off chasing Hull FC and table toppers St Helens before finishing the season with a home game against Catalans.

Castleford now trail second-placed Warrington, third-placed Wigan and fourth-placed Hull by just two points as they look to clinch a top-five finish - but their final three games are all against sides above them.

The Tigers will be targeting a third successive league win when they return to action next Friday night (30 August) with a trip to runaway leaders Saints, followed by Hull at home and then a trip to Wigan.

Huddersfield coach Simon Woolford:

"We tried hard defensively but we built no sustained pressure in attack. We lacked purpose and didn't ask any questions of Cas.

"On the scoreboard at 4-0, we were in the game at half-time but I don't know how many times we dropped the ball in the second half - we had no fluency.

"We have to find a way of transferring what we do in training to game day. We're in a rut and down on confidence and, for a young team, it's going to be hard for us to find a way out of this.

"We need to go back a couple of steps and simplify things. Somehow we have to get some confidence back into this young group. We have two weeks before we go to Hull and that's a long time to stew on."

Castleford coach Daryl Powell:

"It was an important game for us as the top five is pretty competitive, with Salford winning.

"We have a great opportunity here. We could have been clear in second.

"There have been games where we have had a clear opportunity to win and haven't.

"We have three tough games to come but if we are good enough to be in the top five we need to be good enough to win them."

Huddersfield: Gaskell, McGillvary, I. Senior, J. Wardle, L. Senior, Russell, Holmes, Lawrence, Ta'ai, Mellor, Ikahihifo, Leeming, Walne.

Replacements: O'Brien, Roberts, Matagi, Wilson.

Sin Bin: Wilson (57).

Castleford: Rankin, Clare, Mata'utia, Blair, Minikin, Trueman, Ellis, Maher, McShane, Millington, Holmes, McMeeken, Massey.

Replacements: Milner, Sene-Lefao, O'Neill, Smith.

Attendance: 4,636

Referee: James Child (RFL)