Hull FC hit 50 points at Castleford to get Andy Last’s second stint as interim coach up and running.
Hull FC celebrate a try at Castleford.
Andy Last’s second stint as Hull FC interim head coach is up and running at the first attempt, with the eye-catching Black and Whites good value for a 50-10 victory at Castleford Tigers on Friday night.
And after a tough couple of weeks given everything that has gone on with John Cartwright’s gardening leave, Steve McNamara’s appointment for 2027, and Richie Myler’s clearing the air interview, that was just what the doctor ordered.
Last’s Hull side were superb. Determined, professional, and united, they got movement into their play and caused the Tigers numerous problems from the off with their direct and hard running.
Gaining the ascendency early on, Hull were led superbly by James Bell, who shaped the side up from the loose-forward position. The Kiwi was crisp and effective with his passing, biting into the line and engaging the opposition defence.
Allowing Hull to play with width, Bell got his fellow spine players into different areas off the pitch and with half-backs Aidan Sezer and Jake Arthur also in good form, it didn’t take long for the points to follow.
At the other end, Hull, who lost Ligi Sao to a head injury after a high tackle from George Lawler early on, who was sin-binned for the offence, fronted up to take a 20-6 lead into the break, and they extended that lead in the second half for a thoroughly satisfying victory.
Back in the hot seat, Last, who led Hull to their last play-off finish while in interim charge back in 2020, made two changes to the side, with Arthur returning from an ankle injury and Jeremiah Mata’utia making his club debut after joining on loan from Leeds Rhinos. He lined up alongside Rhinos teammate Harry Newman, making his second appearance for the club.
And the script went according to plan from the off. It didn’t take long for Hull to get a strong foothold, earning their keep through strong discipline, carries, and completion. They soon worked their way down field, with Sao offloading for Amir Bourouh to burst through the line before passing to Arthur to score the opening try.
Hull – who also got numbers in to defend and celebrated each defensive win like it was a try – were in no mood to ease off. Arthur then turned provider, firing a delicious looping pass for Tom Briscoe to finish in the corner. Davy Litten then cut back on the inside to score another Hull try, with Connor Bailey finishing the first-half onslaught with his first try for the club, grounding an Arthur kick in the in-goal.
Castleford hit back through Krystain Mapapalangi, who ran a strong line off a Daejarn Asi pass to score just before half-time. But Hull quickly gained the ascendency again in the second half. A penalty got them downfield, and after keeping the ball alive through Bell and Moy, it was Sezer who kicked for Lewis Martin to touch down for their fifth try of the night.
Litten then got his second try of the game, finding a huge gap to round the Castleford defence after a Sezer pass, with Hull’s skipper – producing his best display of the season – finding Zak Hardaker, who ghosted through after a silky show and go.
Bailey then saw a try overturned by the video ref for an obstruction, with the home side then hitting back through Mapapalangi, who took a high kick to score. But normal service was soon resumed late on, as Cade Cust darted over from dummy-half to score Hull’s eighth try.
Last opted to take Arthur and Sezer off towards the end of the game, with Sao’s failed HIA for foul play activating Callum Kemp as the 18th man. And despite some spine changes, Hull kept rolling the dice and got their reward as Yusuf Aydin outstretched an arm to score.
Hardaker then kicked a penalty goal to bring up the fifty point mark and that completed the rout, with a near 2,000-strong Hull away end, including Myler and co-owner Andrew Thirkill, able to smile again. That was a huge win, both in terms of the scoreboard and in the context of their season. And as they chanted long into the night, ‘Lasty’s at the wheel’ – how good does it feel? Finally, some calmness among the chaos. Onwards and upwards.
Teams
Castleford Starting XIII: 24. Jenson Windley; 5. Mikaele Ravalawa, 4. Darnell McIntosh, 23. Krystian Mapapalangi, 22. Jason Qareqare; 6. Daejarn Asi, 7. Tom Weaver; 8. Renouf Atoni, 11. Jordan Lane, 10. George Lawler; 32. George Hirst, 12. Alex Mellor; 13. Joe Stimson
Interchange: 14. Brock Greacen, 15. Jack Ashworth, 25. Sam Hall, 20. Aidan Doolan. 18th Man: 3. Zac Cini
Hull Starting XIII: 24. Logan Moy; 19. Tom Briscoe, 37. Harry Newman, 3. Davy Litten, 5. Lewis Martin; 6. Jake Arthur, 7. Aidan Sezer; 18. Ligi Sao, 9. Amir Bourouh, 10. Harvie Hill; 22. Connor Bailey, 4. Zak Hardaker; 15. James Bell.
Interchange: 14. Cade Cust, 20. Yusuf Aydin, 23. Brad Fash, 38. Jeremiah Mata’utia. 18th Man: 27. Callum Kemp
Scorers
Castleford Tries: Mapapalangi 2. Goals: Weaver 1/2
Hull Tries: Arthur, Briscoe, Litten 2, Bailey, Martin, Hardaker, Cust, Aydin. Goals: Hardaker 7/10
Scoring System: 0-6, 0-10, 0-16, 0-20, 6-20, HT, 6-24, 6-30, 6-36, 10-36, 10-42, 10-48, 10-50, FT
Referee: Tara Jones. Video Referee: Jack Smith
Attendance: 8,030