Talking points from Hull KR’s win over Castleford Tigers on Friday night
11:10, 08 Aug 2026
Hull KR thumped Castleford Tigers 44-0
Hull KR recorded their third win on the spin on Friday night as they thumped Castleford Tigers 44-0 at Wheldon Road.
Tom Davies and Tyrone May both bagged braces on the night with Jez Litten, Joe Burgess, Peta Hiku and Rhyse Martin also getting over.
Here’s a look at some of the talking points.
Rovers building
It was a game of two halves on Friday with Willie Peters’ side blitzing Castleford Tigers with six tries after the interval.
KR were still on top in the first half and went in at the break with a 10-0 lead, but their performance was anything but clean and tidy. Tries came through a moment of individual brilliance from Jez Litten before Tom Davies squeezed over in the corner, but errors in possession stifled Rovers’ attempts to build a head of steam in the game.
All that changed in the second half, though, with KR clearly being sent out to push, be more direct and ruthless. Castleford fading certainly helped, but the Robins punished every little mistake the home side made in emphatic fashion.
They still have six games to play and they’ll certainly have tougher tests than Friday night, but a top four spot is certainly in their hands now on the back of three straight wins. It’s all to play for at Craven Park.
A corner turned
Elliot Minchella has had his doubters this year with the loose-forward struggling to hit the high standards he set last season over a consistent period. He really underwhelmed in the weeks leading up to that derby win over Hull FC at the MKM Stadium in particular and he criticised accordingly.
However, over the last three games we have seen the skipper stand up, grab games by the scruff of the neck and make his presence felt.
He was excellent against Hull last month and he replicated that powerful showing against Castleford particularly with the ball in hand, driving hard into the Castleford line and making himself a real handful. Carrying that form into the last six games of the season is the challenge but with Minchella on top form Rovers can be a match for anyone in the division.
Defensive steel
Hull KR built last season’s treble on their defensive grit, structure and mentality, with Rovers developing a reputation of being one of the toughest teams to score points against. That hasn’t been the case over the last two and half months though, with KR’s defensive might disintegrating.
Since being hammered by Wigan in the Challenge Cup final, Rovers had conceded 20 points or more in five of their nine games prior to Friday night’s action and that’s simply not good enough for a team with aspirations of Grand Final glory.
However, that defensive determination was there in abundance at Wheldon Road with KR rebuffing wave after wave of attack from Castleford, who ultimately went on to visibly lose faith in their ability to break Rovers down.
The Tigers had a big spell of possession at the start of the game and in the second half but KR’s desperation was enough to keep them out on both occasions to give the club a second Super League shut out of the season.
Changes on the way
KR’s next three games will be played over the course of nine days and Peters will be looking to use his squad in order to keep things as fresh as possible over that period. We saw that towards the end of the game at Wheldon Road with Jez Litten being withdrawn from the action, while the head coach admitted Sauaso Sue will sit out of the clash with Catalans Dragons at least as he manages a foot injury.
Tevita Pangai Jr will be eligible to make a return against the Dragons and that gives KR one option, while Mikey Lewis is due to make a return against Warrington Wolves on the 18th to help out further.
However, it would not be a surprise to see the likes of Dean Hadley, Tom Amone, Litten and even Tom Davies rested for spells over the next two weeks with Jordan Dezaria, Bill Leyland and Noah Booth among those pushing for opportunities.