Full-time: Castleford 6-24 Leeds
Castleford Tigers couldn’t reproduce their free-flowing rugby which took them to the Grand Final and too many errors cost them at Old Trafford. But a better performance may not have been able to handle the pressure Leeds put them under and in particular the qualities of captain Danny McGuire all over the pitch, with tries, kicks, drop goals and even a try-saving tackle. Brian McDermott claims a record fourth Grand Final triumph – Castleford will have to wait for another day. That’s all from me, thanks for reading.
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Conversion! Castleford 6-24 Leeds (Gale, 80)
Luke Gale knocks over the extra points, and that’s that.
Try! Castleford 4-24 Leeds (Foster, 79)
Castleford finally display some of their brilliant handling, working their way into the corner before Alex Foster pounces on a kick to prevent Tigers becoming the only finalists ever not to register a point in a Grand Final.
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Drop kick! Castleford 0-24 Leeds (McGuire, 77)
Danny McGuire again puts the ball through the posts. He is without doubt man of the match.
76 min Castleford have not thrown in the towel but they are struggling to find that entertaining streak which has fired them all the way to the Grand Final, against Leeds’s visible confidence.
73 min Is this finally a try for Castleford? Eden touches down but it looked like there was a foot in touch and the replay confirms that indeed there was. Greg Eden will have to wait to equal the Tigers’ try record. Nothing has quite come off for them tonight.
71 min Rob Burrow teeing up Danny McGuire – that was a blast from the past.
Conversion! Castleford 0-23 Leeds (Watkins)
From under the posts Kallum Watkins can’t miss.
Try! Castleford 0-21 Leeds (McGuire, 69)
A little Burrow kick is fumbled on the try line and Danny McGuire is on hand to slam his right hand down on the loose ball and surely seal a memorable victory for Leeds.
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69 min Is this another try for Danny McGuire? He seems to have grounded tidily but James Child goes to the television official once more...
67 min Tempers are fraying on the pitch while “Oh, Danny McGuire” rings around Old Trafford.
66 min Watkins takes out a Tigers runner and that sets up a new set in a threatening position for Castleford. But it ends, once again, with a handling error and Leeds quickly counter.
65 min Milner fumbles a knock-on once more – Castleford have made 14 handling errors. Leeds scrum just inside their own half.
63 min Castleford work through the tackles with the sort of adept handling that’s been missing. The move ends when Hitchcox takes a bang against Walker’s elbow under a high kick, and for a moment the clock is stopped.
Conversion! Castleford 0-17 Leeds (Watkins, 60)
Kallum Watkins adds the extras. The replay suggests that for once the referee really did need to go to his television official – the final pass looked slightly forwards.
Try! Castleford 0-15 Leeds (Briscoe, 59)
Surely this Grand Final is done now. Leeds pour forwards again and when Moon dummies a pass to slip his tackler he is suddenly running through towards the corner. He draws one more tackle before setting up Briscoe to touch down by the flag.
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58 min Another knock-on by Castleford. This one, by Eden, was totally unforced.
56 min Oh dear – yet another mistake by Castleford, this time via and an Adam Milner knock-on. There have been too many errors from the men in orange but Leeds should take much of the credit for that.
54 min Another high kick, this time by Joel Moon, finds chaser Ryan Hall who offloads to Danny McGuire. He dinks a clever bouncing kick into the corner and Castleford are forced to carry the ball over their own line.
Con missed Watkins pushes the conversion across the posts and that is something, at least, for Castleford to cling on to, but they have it all to do.
Try! In fairness to Eden, he was put under huge pressure in the air and then McGuire reacted brilliantly to the bouncing ball. He has been the star of the show tonight.
Try! Castleford 0-11 Leeds (McGuire, 52)
It’s going to the television official, but it looks like Danny McGuire has put Leeds in a hugely commanding position. He pounces on Greg Eden’s fumble after a high kick, scooping the ball up and diving over the line for four points, unless an infringement is spotted...
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50 min Adam Milner dishes out a huge hit on Mitch Garbutt, who drops the ball in the impact and that is one way to win the ball back. Tigers come forward once more, and they are slowly building some pressure... until another handling error undoes their good work.
48 min A brilliant mini-break by Parcell gives Leeds crucial territory before McGuire refinds his kicking game to grubber off the field. This has been a masterclass from the Leeds scrum-half and captain so far.
46 min Things are getting a little spicy as Gale and Ablett square up. Referee James Child reminds Luke Gale that “I control the turnover” and gets the game going once more.
44 min Ben Roberts tries a low kick to split the Leeds defence but chips it into the knee of a white shirt. No matter – Castleford are straight back on the front foot when McGuire boots the ball out on the full.
42 min Danny McGuire scuffs a kick downfield in a messy attempt at a 40-20, probably his only misjudgment of this match so far.
Second half kick-off!
Luke Gale boots deep into Leeds territory and we are back under way the Grand Final.
The players are back out on the Old Trafford pitch – 40 crucial minutes are coming right up.
Half-time: Castleford 0-7 Leeds
And with that, Rhinos head into half-time with a seven-point advantage. Castleford have it all to do but you sense there is plenty more to come from this Grand Final.
Drop goal! Castleford 0-7 Leeds (McGuire, 40)
In the final seconds of the half the Leeds captain steps back into the pocket and slots the kick for another point.
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38 min A final set from Tigers before the break ends in a knock-on in contact, and it will be Leeds who end the half on the front foot.
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No try! Briscoe is adjudged to have pushed a defender off the ball before grounding for the try and for the second time Leeds are denied by the video referee. Despite everything, it’s still Castleford 0-6 Leeds.
37 min Moon pumps one into the sky but Castleford defend it well and come forward again – until Holmes fumbles one and a quick McGuire kick sets up a try opportunity for Leeds. Briscoe gets close to touching down before crashing into the advertising hoardings, and once again James Child refers to the television official...
No try! Referee James Child spots a penalty for obstruction in the buildup to the try and Castleford are denied.
Has Jy Hitchcox touched down in the corner? Another one for the television official...
34 min Tigers’ Matt Cook makes a little break before a bigger one by Oliver Holmes, but a couple of tackles later Millington is adjudged to have received a forward pass as he looked to power over the try-line.
32 min Sloppy by Carl Ablett, who knocks on attempting to roll the ball back, and Castleford will come forward again. They are the side finishing this half in charge, it seems.
30 min Tom Briscoe takes out Ben Roberts cynically as a high ball drops near the Leeds try line and Castleford have a penalty. They opt to run it once again and it almost comes off with a brilliantly slick move into the corner, but what a tackle by Danny McGuire to prevent Greg Eden from touching down! A stunning, try-saving lunge.
28 min A huge impact draws an ‘ooo’ from the crowd as Brad Singleton clatters into a line of orange defence, but a couple of tackles later Leeds spill the ball and perhaps, finally, Castleford can take the chance to get a foothold in this game.
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26 min Luke Gale attempts a 40-20 but it’s underhit and Leeds come right back at Castleford. This is relentless from the Rhinos.
25 min A knock on by Sutcliffe on the fifth tackle saves Castleford. They will pick up the ball deep in their own territory once more.
23 min McGuire’s grubber near the corner hands Castleford a scrum, but a terrible fumble by interchange Grant Millington hands possession over to Leeds again...
22 min Leeds loose forward Adam Cuthbertson is in a lot of pain after a heavy challenge with a couple of Tigers and right now he is receiving treatment on the side of the Old Trafford pitch.
20 min Leeds fight their way to halfway before McGuire sends one into orbit, but Jy Hitchcox reads it well and collects calmly under lots of pressure.
No try! After the fifth tackle McGuire slipped a low kick through the Tigers defence and Watkins got there first, but he couldn’t quite complete the grounding and the television referee spotted it.
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18 min Kallum Watkins gets on the end of McGuire’s clever little kick – is it another Leeds try?! Referee James Child wants to make sure...
16 min Greg Eden is tested with a high kick near his own try line – and passes it confidently under pressure. But a moment later another mistake by a Castleford player hands Leeds a scrum in their opponents’ half.
14 min Danny McGuire is controlling this first period with his kicking game, picking the right moments to relieve pressure and gain territory. Castleford will come forwards with a scrum deep in their own half.
Conversion! Castleford 0-6 Leeds (Watkins, 13)
Kallum Watkins adds two more points.
Try! Castleford 0-4 Leeds (Briscoe, 12)
And that pressure turns into points when Tom Briscoe leaps highest to catch a high kick by McGuire! He touches down near the corner for his 10th try of the season.
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11 min Gayle fires a goal line drop out after having to touch down behind his own try line under pressure, and Leeds come forward again – they are building a little pressure here.
10 min Paul McShane knocks on, probably due to the greasy conditions, and that will be a Leeds scrum inside their own half.
8 min McGuire’s pass to Ward is spilled and Castleford respond with a stunning run by Greg Eden – but when Sutcliffe brings him down he spills it too, and that will bring the play all the way back to the start of the counterattacking move. Castleford aren’t quite pulling off the final ball but they are playing some lovely flowing rugby.
6 min A high kick by Castleford scrum-half Luke Gale has the stadium in a universal state of gasping anxiety as the ball drops out of the sky, but Jack Walker gets under it and brings up a relieved cheer from the Leeds support. Needless to say, the atmosphere is sensational.
4 min Referee James Child awards Castleford a penalty for interference and they show their intentions early by refusing the kick to run the ball. They work through the tackles but can’t quite evade the Leeds defence – though they’ve earned huge early territory.
2 min Leeds skipper McGuire gets an early low kick away from around halfway but, under huge pressure, he overhits it and the ball bounces off the back of the field for a fresh Castleford set.
Kick-off!
Leeds get the 20th Super League Grand Final under way.
Fireworks, smoke and a lot of noise greet the two teams as they march out on to the Old Trafford pitch. The best team of 2017 against the most successful in Super League history. Here we go.
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The famous Stretford End is absolutely packed with the orange of Castleford, who won the toss and chose to attack that end in the second half. It’s music time, and Jerusalem is currently belting out.
Plenty of star names have been desperate to get their hands on a ticket for this one. And Yvette Cooper.
Go for it Cas @CTRLFC #COYF #ClassyCas pic.twitter.com/YkqR0OCvKo
— Yvette Cooper (@YvetteCooperMP) October 7, 2017
For some recommended pre-match reading, here’s Aaron Bower on Castleford’s astonishing revival:
The teams!
GRAND FINAL SQUAD: Here is the Tigers side that will face Leeds Rhinos in the Super League Grand Final tonight! #COYF pic.twitter.com/d2OUKaUFxt
— Castleford Tigers (@CTRLFC) October 7, 2017
Jack Walker starts at full back in only his 12th first team game as the Rhinos take on Castleford at Old Trafford pic.twitter.com/u3yOHxjFZR
— Leeds Rhinos (@leedsrhinos) October 7, 2017
Preamble
The compelling story of Castleford Tigers’ back-from-the-dead journey could come to a magical culmination at Old Trafford today in the 20th Super League Grand Final. In their way stand Leeds Rhinos, who have their own romantic ending to pen as the captain Danny McGuire and Leeds lifer Rob Burrow – scorer of that try against St Helens in the final six years ago – bow out at the end of remarkable careers. It is a Grand Final which is perfectly poised and it’s coming right up.
Kick-off: 6pm BST
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