Castleford Tigers Vow to Bounce Back After Wigan Thrashing
In the wake of Castleford Tigers’ humiliating 60-6 defeat against Wigan Warriors in the Challenge Cup, head coach Craig Lingard has addressed the team’s dismal performance and challenged his players to respond. The Tigers have endured a challenging start to the season, managing just one league victory so far, which came in Round Seven against Salford Red Devils, inspired by Innes Senior’s outstanding four-try display. However, their luck changed again at the weekend, as they were ruthlessly torn apart by Matt Peet’s Wigan side on home turf.
Speaking to BBC Radio Leeds after the game, Lingard acknowledged the clear gulf in class between the top and bottom of the Super League. “Wigan were outstanding, and we were very, very ordinary,” he admitted. The former Batley head coach emphasized the need for his players to confront the disappointment head-on, rather than attempting to move past it.
“I don’t think you can put it behind you. I think it’s got to be in the forefront of your memory because if you try and put it behind you and forget about it, you’ll probably get exactly what you got today on Friday,” Lingard said.
He challenged his players to fear another such beating, as that would be the only way to ensure they respond with a better performance in their upcoming fixture.
Lingard was unequivocal in his assessment, stating that there were no positives to take from the game. “I don’t think effort is an issue. I think today it was defensive. I just thought we were very, very poor defensively. It was more of an attitude towards defense today,” he said.
The head coach acknowledged that Wigan were the superior side, but emphasized that the Tigers could have made the game easier for themselves by starting the match with greater intensity and aggression in defense.
“You can make it a little bit easier for yourself by the way that you start the game. You can come out flying, your line speed can be good, you can be aggressive in the first 5-10 minutes defensively,” Lingard explained.
With a challenging fixture looming, the Castleford Tigers will need to regroup and demonstrate a renewed commitment to defense if they hope to turn their fortunes around in the coming weeks.
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