Castleford Tigers’ head coach, Andy Last, says he is excited by the prospect of today’s Sixth Round Challenge Cup tie against Hull FC.
Last, a former Hull FC coach, took over from Lee Radford earlier in the season, with the Tigers sitting 11th in Super League.
During his time at Hull FC, Last was part of the coaching staff which guided the Black and Whites to consecutive Challenge Cup wins in 2016 and 2017, and the former Hull coach believes a home draw could be key in helping Castleford progress this time around.
“When I was at Hull previously, you’re hoping for a good home draw. We have a home draw this week, hopefully we get a good crowd there and I know Hull FC will bring a good following and atmosphere, it should be red hot.
“The BBC cameras are there which adds to the expectation, excitement and anticipation. It requires a real high level of performance to beat Hull.”
Castleford will be hoping a change of competition can change their fortune. The West Yorkshire side head into the fixture after four straight defeats, with their last win coming against local rivals Wakefield Trinity at the beginning of April.
The Tigers will have to do it tough as they will be without some key players. Niall Evalds and Jacob Miller have all been ruled out, which means Last may have to play players out of their natural positions. Former FC players, Bureta Faraimo and Liam Watts are both ruled out due to suspension.
This contrasts Hull FC, who have recently welcomed back players from injury. Former Castleford half-back, Jake Trueman made his FC debut a fortnight ago. Meanwhile, fullback Tex Hoy has been named in the 21-player squad by Tony Smith.
Following a poor run of form, which saw Hull suffer seven straight defeats, Smith's side have bounced back in emphatic fashion with three consecutive wins.
A home success against Huddersfield was followed by another against Wigan Warriors. The Black and Whites then proved too strong in the second half against Wakefield, making it three wins in a row.
Last believes that Hull are a dangerous side and could pose a signicant threat to Castleford.
“They have a really good controlling half-back, who is kicking well. The forward pack is very big and strong, they play pretty direct and they are creating a good platform for their outside backs to cause some problems. Their left edge is strong and look a real threat when they move the ball from right to left.”
The sides will meet at the Mend-A-Hose Jungle on Sunday at 3PM. The match will be shown live on BBC Two.
