Leeds Rhinos made it three consecutive wins in the Betfred Super League as a flurry of second-half tries saw them beat Castleford Tigers 29-6 at The Jungle.

Sam Lisone’s tries in both halves stole the show for the Rhinos, who overcame early resistance from the Tigers to take control. Harry Newman crossed twice in the second half, and Ryan Hall also got on the scoresheet to help seal the result.

There was just one change from the last-gasp win over Hull FC, with Cooper Jenkins returning to the starting pack after missing only his second game of the season. His inclusion saw Keenan Palasia move to the bench, as Brad Arthur opted for consistency in his squad selection.

Only seven points separated the Yorkshire rivals after a tightly contested first half.

The game began with intensity, reflecting the derby atmosphere among the two fanbases. A yellow card for Castleford’s Liam Horne on the nine-minute mark proved pivotal. After Leeds had just defended their line from Castleford's best spell of pressure, Ash Handley rose highest to field Daejarn Asi’s kick in the in-goal area. As he returned the ball for a tap restart, Horne took out the Leeds winger, leaving referee Liam Rush with no option but to send him to the sin bin.

In a theme that marked much of the first half, the Rhinos had opportunities to post points but couldn’t convert. Handley hacked a kick into touch to end one promising move, while Gannon and Newman came close but couldn't shift the scoreboard from 0-0.

With Arthur ringing the changes in the pack, one substitute made an immediate impact—Sam Lisone powered over moments after entering the field. After the Tigers were stretched from side to side, Brodie Croft spotted a gap and put Lisone through. The prop crashed over for his first try since round one.

Lachie Miller added the conversion, and Croft slotted a drop goal in the final minute of the half to give Leeds a seven-point lead at the break.

Castleford came out of the sheds strongly and registered their only points of the match early in the second half. In the first set after the restart, Alex Mellor broke through the Leeds line before feeding Louis Senior, who finished well in the corner.

Leeds didn’t let the Tigers build momentum. A strong attacking set put them on the front foot, and a last-tackle kick from Croft looked to have found Newman. However, a video referee review ruled that McDonnell had touched the ball en route. Newman didn’t have to wait long though—he capitalised on a handling error from Innes Senior to pounce and restore Leeds' advantage.

Ryan Hall then extended the lead with a try in the corner. After Croft’s kick deflected off a Castleford player and bounced kindly into the arms of Miller, the full-back sprinted clear before passing to Hall for the finish.

The Tigers struggled to cope with Leeds' pace and pressure as the Rhinos turned them around time and again. The decisive moment came in the 69th minute, when Newman bagged his second. A high kick near the posts was contested and collected by Watkins, and the loose ball found its way to Newman to all but guarantee the points were heading back to AMT Headingley.

There was time for one final flourish. Lisone crossed again in the dying moments to cap a dominant second-half performance from the Rhinos.

Teams

Tigers

1. Tex Hoy, 24. Josh Simm, 3. Zac Cini, 22. Louis Senior, 5. Innes Senior, 6. Daejarn Asi, 7. Rowan Milnes, 41. Tom Amone, 9. Liam Horne, 10. George Lawler, 12. Alex Mellor, 13. Joe Westerman, 38. Brad Singleton

Subs: 42. Chris Atkin, 19. Sam Hall, 20. Muizz Mustapha, 35 Daniel Okoro (18^th Man – 18. Cain Robb)

Tries: Senior (42)

Goals: Milnes 1/1

Rhinos

1. Lachie Miller, 5. Ryan Hall, 3. Harry Newman, 4. Ash Handley (CC), 23. Riley Lumb, 18. Jake Connor, 6. Brodie Croft, 17. Cooper Jenkins, 14. Jarrod O’Connor, 8. Mikolaj Oledzki, 12. James McDonnell, 16. Morgan Gannon, 28. Kallum Watkins

Subs: 19. Tom Holroyd, 15. Sam Lisone, 10. Keenan Palasia, 13. Cameron Smith (CC) (18^th Man – 11. James Bentley)

Tries: Lisone (33, 78), Newman (53, 69), Hall (57)

Goals: Connor 4/5

Drop Goals: Connor (39)