James Ford wants Castleford Tigers home tie as Featherstone Rovers ‘find some energy’ in golden point extra time to beat rivals Wakefield Trinity in Challenge Cup

It was the first competitive meeting between the pair since 1998 but it was worth the 26-year wait as both sides, in gruelling, muddy conditions, played their part in an absorbing contest.

Two tries from Connor Wynne late in the first half gave Fev a 10-0 advantage but Wakey, led by former Rovers head coach Daryl Powell, produced the kind of form that had seen them win all five of their cup games in 2024 before today, with Oliver Pratt and Romain Franco, as well as a Mason Lino penalty, getting them back on level terms.

However, with Trinity looking to apply pressure in the first half of extra time, Gale intercepted Lino’s loose pass to run nearly the full length to secure Fev’s spot in Monday’s sixth round draw.

Ford said: “I am pleased for the boys, pleased for the supporters and pleased for everybody at the club. I thought we worked tremendously hard and we showed lots of desire but so did both sets of players. Wakefield were equally as tough and as together and as resilient as we were. They had periods of the game where they put us under pressure, as we did.

“Fortunately for us we were able to capitalise on a mistake and score the winning try. I am delighted to be progressing into the next round but certainly we are very aware that both teams will do a lot of improving from here.”

Asked if he felt it was a game of two halves, Ford replied:

“The slope plays into that. I thought in the first half we built pressure tremendously well. Harry Bowes’ short kicking game was outstanding and we got three or four repeat sets off the back of it.

“In the second half we coughed up the ball a little bit but it was difficult in these conditions. We gave a couple of really preventable penalties away. Wakey then put us under pressure and Luke Gale kicked well and Mason kicked well and unpicked us with a couple of nice tries. They were certainly on top for a lot of periods in that second half but we found some energy and togetherness to turn it back around and pinch it again.

“There is some learning for us there. The game was in the balance for a long time but congratulations to both sets of players.

On Gale’s match-winning intervention, Ford said:

“They make them tough in Fev. When you look at him and Josh Hardcastle, they are two of the toughest humans I have ever come across.

“The bloke is on a rooftop all day and he then comes a train some days for four hours - that’s a tremendous stint. Part-time rugby players are something else. They are tough humans.”

Asked who he would like Featherstone to draw on Monday evening in the sixth round when the Super League sides enter the competition, Ford said:

“I wouldn’t mind Castleford at home.”