Super League: Castleford Tigers 20-30 St Helens
Last Updated: 01/05/16 7:05pm
St Helens twice came from behind to secure a 30-20 Super League win over Castleford at the Mend-a-Hose Jungle on Sunday.
The Tigers were a shadow of the side that suffered a humiliating 58-16 home defeat to Hull KR as they shrugged off the absence of eight senior players to lead 20-12 after an hour, before falling short at the end.
Jonny Lomax followed up his two-try performance on his comeback against Leeds last week with Saints' final try, to put the seal on an unconvincing win for Keiron Cunningham's men.
Castleford coach Daryl Powell gave a debut to 17-year-old prop Conor Fitzsimmons, among other enforced changes, but it looked nothing like a patched-up team when the home side went in front after 12 minutes. Luke Gale's towering kick to the line was plucked out of the air by Joel Monaghan for the opening try.
The home side were pressing once more when Saints hooker James Roby collected Ryan Hampshire's attacking kick 10 metres out from his own line to set up a counter-attack which created the position for an equalising score.
Castleford allowed the ball to bounce from Luke Walsh's kick and paid the price when second rower Joe Greenwood pounced for an eighth try of the season, which Walsh converted.
Roby was off the pitch by then, having treatment for a badly-bleeding nose, and Castleford went back in front in his absence when winger Denny Solomona regathered another accurate kick from Gale to touch down.
Roby was able to return eight minutes before half-time and Saints looked more threatening on his return.
The hooker was involved in the try that brought his side level for a second time, winger Shannon McDonnell taking Mark Percival's pass to cross at the corner four minutes into the second half, with Walsh putting them in front for the first time with his touchline conversion.
The lead lasted just four minutes, however, as the Tigers gained their second wind to score two tries in what looked likely to be a decisive seven-minute spell.
A handling error by St Helens captain Jon Wilkin gifted his opponents the ball in a great attacking position and Gale punished it by sending second rower Mike McMeeken through a gap, before winger Jy Hitchcox raced onto Crooks' grubber kick to touch down at the corner.
That made it 20-12 but Saints struck back with two tries of their own in quick succession.
The Castleford defence opened up invitingly for prop Kyle Amor to go over and Greenwood grabbed his second after two defenders failed to clear the danger posed by Walsh's high kick.
Saints still had plenty of defence to do to keep their lead intact before Lomax went past some tired tacklers to score the visitors' fifth try, which Walsh converted for a 30-20 victory.
