Yahoo Sports St Helens romp to 10-try victory at Castleford
Betfred Super League
Castleford Tigers (4) 4
Tries: Senior
St Helens (8) 60
Tries: Blake 3, Welsby 2, Bell 2, Mata'utia, Lomax, Percival, Dodd Goals: Percival 7
St Helens stormed back to the top of Super League as they ran in 11 tries - nine of them unanswered after the break - to batter Castleford on home soil.
In a game of two red cards - Saints winger Tommy Makinson, then Cas forward Liam Horne - it was the second of them that tilted the game as the hosts lost their man advantage and Saints ran amok.
Winger Waqa Blake led the way with three tries, Jack Welsby and James Bell both crossed twice, while Sione Mata'utia, Jonny Lomax, Mark Percival, who kicked seven goals, and Lewis Dodd all scored tries too.
And, on a night when they lost Tex Hoy and Alex Mellor, who both failed head injury assessments, the hosts' only try came from Louis Senior.
It was a lively opening at the Jungle as Saints went a try up through Mata’utia only to go a man down when Makinson was sent off in the 13th minute for his late hit on Cas full-back Hoy.
With only 12 men, Saints were not too handicapped and extended their lead through Lomax's try - again unconverted by Percival.
Cas did get back in it right on half-time when Louis Senior went over in the corner. But Rowan Milnes' conversion hit the post.
And, instead of closing to within two points, when the game restarted, Cas found themselves ten points down when Welsby galloped in to score and Percival this time found his range from the tee.
Worse was to follow for the hosts when Horne became the second red card of the night for a tip tackle on Bell - and Percival added two more points with a penalty.
But being back on level terms in terms of numbers had a disastrous effect on Cas as they caved in by conceding three more tries in four minutes - from Percival himself, Blake and Bell.
And, from then, it was not a case of how, but how many.
In the end, five more tries followed as Blake added two more, Bell and Welsby crossed again and Dodd got on the scoresheet too.
All more than enough to improve their points difference sufficiently to overtake Warrington as leaders.
Castleford Tigers: Hoy; L Senior, C Hall, Wood, I Senior; Milnes, Miller; Watts, McShane, Westerman, Mellor, El-Zakhem. Hill.
Interchanges: Horne, Griffin, Robb, Eseh.
Sent off: Horne (48)
St Helens: Welsby; Makinson, Hurrell, Percival, Blake; Lomax, Dodd; Mata'utia, Clark, Lees, Sironen, Batchelor, Bell.
Interchanges: Mbye, Wingfield, Delaney, Stephens.
Sent off: Makinson (13)
Referee: Jack Smith.
