Castleford Tigers have sacked head coach Andy Last following the defeat to Huddersfield Giants which saw them slip to the bottom of the Betfred Super League on points difference; Last was only named as Lee Radford's successor on a full-time basis in April
Saturday 5 August 2023 14:35, UK
Andy Last has been sacked by Castleford Tigers after Friday's 28-0 defeat to Huddersfield Giants left them bottom of the Betfred Super League on points difference.
The 42-year-old succeeded Lee Radford as head coach at the Mend-A-Hose Jungle on a full-time basis in April, having served in an interim post following the former Hull FC boss' departure the previous month.
However, Last was unable to oversee a turnaround in fortunes and becomes the latest Super League head coach to lose his job following Warrington Wolves' decision to part company with Daryl Powell last Sunday.
Friday's loss at home to Huddersfield, which saw a number of Cas fans refuse to leave the stadium in an apparent protest at full-time, saw the Tigers slip below Wakefield Trinity in the table. The two West Yorkshire rivals face each other in a crunch relegation clash on Friday, August 18, live on Sky Sports.
Last's departure was confirmed in a short statement from the club after he did not attend his post-match press conference.
"Castleford Tigers can confirm that Andy Last has departed the club with immediate effect," the statement read.
"The club will make a further statement after the weekend."
It followed a game in which a hat-trick from Sam Halsall helped Huddersfield condemn Castleford to their fifth-consecutive defeat on a debut to forget for new signings Charbel Tasipale and Liam Horne.
Winger Halsall struck once in the first half and twice in the second, ensuring the Giants are still alive in the play-off race thanks to the one-sided win.
Huddersfield raced into a 14-0 first-half lead thanks to tries from Halsall, Leroy Cudjoe and Chris McQueen and never looked like being reeled in.
The Giants added three more scores after the interval, Adam Milner wrapping things up after Halsall's double, to condemn the Tigers to another disappointing loss.
