Castleford Tigers v Wigan Warriors: Super 8s preview
By PA Sport
Last Updated: 12/08/16 11:50pm
Castleford's Super 8s win over leaders Hull has shown them the way to perform for the rest of the season, according to coach Daryl Powell.
The Tigers turned the Challenge Cup finalists over at the KCOM Stadium last week to keep their top-four chances alive, but know they must back it up against second-placed Wigan this time out.
A 30-16 win by the Humber provided a perfect example of what a fluent Castleford are capable of, but Powell knows it will count for little if they fail to show up against Wigan.
"The win at Hull has set us a yardstick of how we should be performing on a weekly basis," said Powell.
"We have got a standard now and we need to stick to it. We're playing all the best teams in the Super 8s and we need to deliver.
"Being able to back that up against Wigan is absolutely key."
Wigan drew level with Hull at the top of the table after their win over Wakefield last weekend and, having lost to the Black and Whites in the cup semi-final, coach Shaun Wane knows how difficult a task toppling them can be.
"Castleford are a very good team, not many teams can go to Hull and win," he said. "It's a tough place to go and I thought Cas were very good that night.
"It's a great atmosphere at Cas, a rugby league town. They know the game really well and it's a place we like going to."
Wigan won at Castleford during the regular season and go back to West Yorkshire boosted by the returns of Liam Farrell (four months out with a rib injury) and Anthony Gelling (six games out with a pectoral injury).
"We enjoy playing there," added Wane. "I've had some tough times there over the years but the win there earlier in the season was impressive and we need to make sure we get that again."
Castleford Tigers: Rangi Chase, Matt Cook, Ben Crooks, Luke Dorn, Luke Gale, Ryan Hampshire, Oliver Holmes, Lee Jewitt, Will Maher, Frankie Mariano, Paul McShane, Grant Millington, Adam Milner, Greg Minikin, Junior Moors, Larne Patrick, Andre Savelio, Denny Solomona, Gadwin Springer.
Wigan Warriors: John Bateman, Josh Charnley, Dom Crosby, Liam Farrell, Ben Flower, Anthony Gelling, Willie Isa, Dom Manfredi, Lee Mossop, Frank-Paul Nuuausala, Sean O'Loughlin, Sam Powell, Dan Sarginson, Matty Smith, Ryan Sutton, Taulima Tautai, Lewis Tierney, Sam Tomkins, George Williams.
