Castleford Tigers scored seven tries to beat Bradford Bulls 40-28 in Round 6 of the Super League at Wamboa Stadium.
The match between Castleford and Bradford was one of the staples of Super League’s opening weekend 30 years ago, so it was only natural that there would be a birthday party on Thursday night.
The Tigers are celebrating their first home winning streak since April 2024. Castleford head coach Ryan Kerr was looking for a response after last week’s thumping 72-6 win over Warrington Wolves, which saw them pick up their second win of the season.
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Kakarekare scores ‘unbelievable’ hat-trick for Castleford
Castleford narrowly led 22-16 at halftime thanks to a hat trick from Jason Kakarekea, a walk-in from Darnell McIntosh and three of four points from Tom Weaver.
Bradford fought back with a converted try from Ethan Marsters, two penalty conversions from Luke Fourie and a finish from Joe Mellor, but found themselves trailing in the scoring race.
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George Lawlor and Tom Weaver extend Castleford Tigers’ lead over Bradford Bulls
Castleford then extended their lead with a flurry of tries, with secondaries from George Lawlor, Tom Weaver and Mackintosh putting the home team ahead by 24 points.
Fourie’s over allowed Bradford to narrow the gap slightly, but when Marsters was brought on with two minutes left, the mountain was too big to climb. The 40-28 scoreline showed how disjointed the teams were on both sides of halftime.
Castleford attacked either team at half-time to secure a big win.
It was clear from the start of the match that both Castleford and Bradford intended to throw the ball around, and that intent led to an early try after just two minutes.
As Bradford kicked up, Marsters proved stronger than Kare-Kare in the air, taking control and diving. Fourie scored for a 6-0 lead.
It took just five minutes for Castleford to fight back. Kakarekea used his speed on the edge to make up for the mistake and score the first goal, and Weaver added the extra point to tie the score.
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Jason Kakarekare scores his second try of the night for Castleford.
Discipline gave both teams key areas, so there was no way an arm-wrestle couldn’t happen.
It was Bradford who quickly took advantage of penalties in the 16th and 19th minutes with a high shot and a late hit, both by Andy Ackers. Hooley scored both of those to give the visitors a 10-6 lead.
However, it took just six minutes for Kakarekea to match the first shot, and Weaver converted to give the Tigers a slim 12-10 advantage.
The lead continued to change hands, with Bradford coming in next, Ed Chamberlain and Mellor scoring great goals, and Fourie once again keeping his boot perfect.
The match looked to be level at 16-16 at the break after Mackintosh came in from a position advantageous to Castleford, but Kakarekea’s brilliance resurfaced.
With just seconds left on the clock, the Tigers sent the ball to a winger who ignited the afterburners for a hat trick. Weaver’s goal with time running out gave Castleford a slim 22-16 advantage at half-time.
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Chamberlain and Mellor combine in style to give the Bulls the upper hand once again!
After the chaos at the end of the first half, it didn’t take long for Castleford to turn things around again. This time, off the back of a penalty for Kakarekea’s high shot, they brought it up the middle and Lawler used his health to barrel over and stretch out to score. Weaver converted to make it 28-16.
This time, Weaver himself used a dummy to confuse the defense and steal the spoils, and 45 minutes later he converted a shot of his own for a 34-16 lead.
The onslaught continued, with McIntosh scoring his second goal just five minutes later, followed by Weaver’s clutch kick from the touchline to put the Tigers up 40-16. The floodgates were open and Bradford was struggling to close them.
Bradford scored four unanswered tries with 20 minutes remaining and were able to get back into contention. The first try came in the 60th minute, when he missed the goal on a foul in the corner and then sent the kick over to make the score 40-22.
The visitors thought their second goal was coming in the 69th minute when he slipped out to the left, but instead of using Ryan on the edge, Blake stood back and slid in for the goal. However, the referee’s video check ruled it out for interference in the build-up.
Marsters scored his second goal and Hooley converted to make the score 40-28, but they managed to add another point with two minutes remaining, but it was too late as Kurt Haggerty’s side fell to their third loss.
Kerr: “Comebacks are always bigger than setbacks”
Castleford Tigers head coach Ryan Kerr said on Sky Sports+:
“That was the performance we were looking for. It was an important week for us as a group and as a club.
“A friend emailed me and said that the comeback is always bigger than the setback, and that couldn’t be more true.
“We wanted a reaction. It’s not going to be decided in one game. It’s what we do after that. I’m proud of the team.”
2026 Super League – Important dates and highlights
Rivals Round: 3rd April – 5th April Super League in Paris: Saturday 6th June: Catalans Dragons vs. Wigan Warriors (Paris), 6:30 UK (Sky Sports) Magic Weekend: 4th July – 5th July Rivals Round Turnaround: 23rd July – 26th July Elimination Playoffs: 19th September – 20th September Playoff Semi-Finals: September 26-September 27 Grand Final: October 3, Old Trafford.
Sky Sports will continue to broadcast every Super League match live this season. Exclusively live, including two matches from each round, the remaining five matches will be shown weekly on Sky Sports+.
