Castleford Tigers face fixture pile-up after Wigan game is postponed

CASTLEFORD TIGERS are facing a fixture pile-up after their second postponement of the season.
Castleford Tigers' coach Daryl Powell.Castleford Tigers' coach Daryl Powell.
Castleford Tigers' coach Daryl Powell.

Today’s home clash with Wigan Warriors was called off due to snow and ice, two weeks after the trip to Hull KR suffered a similar fate.

With a break for the World Club Challenge added in, Tigers have played on successive weekends only once so far this season.

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“It is what it is,” was coach Daryl Powell’s reaction. He said: “There’s not a lot we can do, the weather has been appalling and we just have to deal with it.

“We will certainly be fresh going into this week!”

Of the decision to postpone today’s game, Powell added: “There’s snow all over the place and it’s dangerous.

“It would be difficult for the players and the pitch is really heavy as well – it would probably have absolutely ruined it if we’d played on it.”

The game at Hull KR is likely to be rearranged for the international weekend in June, but Tigers will have to find another date for the clash with Wigan.

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“We’ll have to have a look at our calendar, in discussion with the two other clubs,” Powell said. “We need to find a way through it.”

Tigers face a Grand Final rematch with Leeds Rhinos – who beat St Helens three days ago – at Elland Road on Friday.

“We just want to get in a flow and we can’t do that at the moment,” Powell admitted.

“We’ve just got to deal with what’s in front of us, have a good preparation this week and look forward to what should be – from everything I am hearing – a special atmosphere at Elland Road.”

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Today’s game was called off, after a 10am inspection, in the “interests of player and spectator safety”.

Tigers’ safety officer Ian Crawford said: “Postponing a game is never an option we take lightly and I must give praise to our groundsman Stuart Vause who really has worked so hard over the past week.

“The sheer volume of rainfall we had before the snow and sub zero temperatures overnight have left us with a frozen pitch and frozen terraces. We would never want to put anyone in danger while attending a match at the Mend-A-Hose Jungle so postponing this match is unfortunately our only option.”