Late postponement gives Castleford Tigers breathing space - Leeds Rhinos game put back 2 weeks

Castleford Tigers' visit to Leeds Rhinos has been rearranged for two weeks’ time after they were left without a full team for tonight’s (Thursday's) scheduled fixture.
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Rhinos will instead play Hull, who stepped in at less than 24 hours’ notice after Tigers were reduced to just 14 fit men following an outbreak of coronavirus.

Tigers will now travel to Emerald Headingley in Betfred Super League round 18, scheduled for October 25/26.

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Castleford coach Daryl Powell originally planned to give fitness tests to three players this morning, who could have taken Tigers to a full complement of 17, but Super League announced at 10pm yesterday that Hull would step in as Rhinos’ opponents instead.

A Covid-19 outbreak is causing a huge headache for Tigers coach Daryl Powell, right and assistant-boss Danny Orr. Picture by Tony Johnson.A Covid-19 outbreak is causing a huge headache for Tigers coach Daryl Powell, right and assistant-boss Danny Orr. Picture by Tony Johnson.
A Covid-19 outbreak is causing a huge headache for Tigers coach Daryl Powell, right and assistant-boss Danny Orr. Picture by Tony Johnson.

Tigers were already without a host of key players – including half-backs Jake Trueman and Danny Richardson and star forwards Liam Watts and Jesse Sene-Lefao – through injury and were rocked yesterday when three players returned positive results in this week’s latest round of coronavirus testing.

They are now self-isolating for a minimum of 10 days and six of their team-mates have been stood down under track-and-trace protocols.

Tigers’ squad will all undergo another Covid-19 test this morning.

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Castleford have won only once since Betfred Super League resumed in August and plunged from second in the table to eighth.

This week’s outbreak is the first time any Tigers players have tested positive for coronavirus and Powell conceded his side are in “a bit of trouble”.

He said: “It has been so difficult this year, for numerous reasons. We’ve been really diligent with the way we’ve been around the club and obviously you need a bit of luck with Covid with the way it has been spreading.

“This has obviously really rattled us as a group; we are in a bit of trouble here with Covid.

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“We have a significant number of players who are injured – some long term, some medium term – and we have 14 fit players. It is a real tough situation to be in.”

Powell stressed Castleford were keen to play today, if they had enough troops.

“We have had to do all sorts of things to keep our season going and we’ve just got on with it,” he said.

“We have been rattled from all sorts of injuries. We can’t play with 14 players.

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“We are really struggling in the outside-backs, some of the players who are injured are outside-backs, half-backs as well.

“We have got a lot of issues there and some of our young players have been stood down as well.”

Tigers’ training yesterday was cancelled and Powell added: “At this moment in time it is what it is, real difficult.

“We have up to 20 players who are unavailable for different reasons – that is unprecedented across rugby league, I think.”

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Wigan – who play Warrington at Headingley tomorrow – have also reported three positive tests this week and most Super League clubs have now been affected, but Powell stressed he does not want the campaign called off.

He said: “I think we have got to get through. It is really important we get through the season, but it is going to be tough.

“Covid cases are rising at the moment, but we’ve just got to be really diligent and get through.

“We want to finish the season positively.

“It has been a really tough one for us, but we want to get through and get some of our young players playing and developing and growing.

“We have just got to hang tough.

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“As difficult as it is, I think to scrap the season would be disastrous.

“I would hate to see that happen.”

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