CASTLEFORD'S only Super League victory at Headingley (barring a play-off) came in 2002 when Leeds, lacking players on Great Britain duty in Australia for a one-off Test, were rolled over 32-24.
Under similar circumstances, the Tigers should have done exactly the same on Saturday evening.


Without 14 players - seven injured and seven from the previous night's international in France - Leeds, albeit still with some very good players on show, were there for the taking.
Four of the Rhinos were on Super League debut, full-back Ben Jones-Bishop had made just two Challenge Cup starts, half-back Danny Allan had just one substitute appearance in the same cup to his name and Joe Chandler and Michael Haley had never appeared in the first team.
Pre-match conversation in the main stand was that Leeds should not have gone ahead with the game - post-match the talk was of one of their most remarkable victories for many seasons.
Cas led just 6-0 at the break but bombed enough chances to be out of sight and were 12-4 to the good by the 64-minute mark after dominating territorially on the restart.
But the Rhinos rookies, inspired by first-team duo Brent Webb and Matt Diskin, showed commendable heart to get back into the game and make Cas pay for their wastefulness on attack.


After absorbing fierce early pressure, and having a lucky escape when Ali Lauititi spilled the ball over the line under Stuart Donlan's tackle, Cas weathered a run of seven successive penalties to open the scoring on 20 minutes when Brent Sherwin, Luke Dorn and Donlan created the overlap for Richard Owen to score. Huby was off target with the conversion.


Four minutes later Owen was the hero at the other end with a marvellous try-saver on Rhinos rookie Danny Allan, who looked a certain scorer after supporting a fine break by Lee Smith.
The teenager could have scored again seconds later after Huby got his hands free but the final pass was not great.
A Huby penalty extended the lead to 6-0 and Owen again went close after a Sherwin 40-20, only for the under-fire Leeds defensive line to somehow hold out.


And it was a similar story on the half-hour when Sherwin sent McGoldrick through but the Aussie, under pressure from Scott Donald, sent the final pass forward.
Late in the half Sherwin missed a straightforward drop-goal attempt from smack in front - it wasn't the first sign that it was set to be one of those days.


Cas went further ahead on 47 minutes after McGoldrick sent Westerman on a 40-metre charge. The chance looked lost as Leeds scrambled back in numbers but on the sixth tackle Westerman climbed highest to grab Dorn's bomb and plunge over. The teenager could not goal his own try.
Three minutes later great work from Sherwin set up another chance, this time for Adam Fletcher but Rhinos substitute Danny Williams - who spent much of last season on loan at the Tigers - got back to force the Aussie into touch as he gathered Sherwin's kick to the corner.


Seconds later Leeds were on the board as Smith hared in at the corner after Luke Burgess went further than he should have done.
Sherwin missed a relatively simple penalty shot on 57 minutes but Huby was on target seven minutes later to extend the lead to 4-12.
Two tries in four minutes crowned a remarkable comeback. First Brent Webb, operating at stand-off, put hooker Matt Diskin over, then Diskin repaid the compliment for Kiwi Webb.
It followed a rare but costly mis-read from Donlan, who was content to allow Webb's towering kick to roll dead, only for the ball to take a wicked bounce that ended with Donlan scrambling to knock the ball dead as Smith closed in.


Full-back Donlan looked to make amends after bursting through a hole off Sherwin's pass but he was sucked in by the cover and the final score of the game came from the boot of Smith, who kicked an easy penalty after Cas were caught offside in front of their own posts.
There was still time to salvage a point but Leeds defended successive sets in the dying minutes. Not for the first time this season, it left the Tigers reflecting on too many unrewarded final plays.