Castleford’s Super League domination will count for little when they put their season on the line on Thursday, according to coach Daryl Powell.
The Tigers won the League Leaders’ Shield for the first time in the club’s 91-year history, finishing 10 points clear at the top and eyeing a maiden grand final.
They lost to Hull in the Challenge Cup quarter-finals. In the first Super League semi-final, they face a testing visit from St Helens.
“That’s the challenge: to be able to do your job when the pressure is on,” Powell said.
“We’ve just got to turn up, be nice and relaxed, play well and put Saints under pressure.”
Castleford suffered a 48-16 home defeat to Hull. They also lost in the Super 8s’ opening round two months ago to Saints, who became the first team in 2017 to win at the Tigers’ home ground.
“They beat us fair and square,” Powell said. “Their scrambling defence was outstanding and we’re going to have to make some better decisions on the edges and be a bit more clinical and patient because they’ve started to improve significantly. (Former NRL player) Ben Barba has added another dimension.”
St Helens, the 2014 champions, had three-consecutive Super 8s defeats and only finished in the top four with victory over Salford in their final game.
They finished the regular season with three-straight wins, recording 11 victories from 17 games under Australian coach Justin Holbrook.
“It’s always good to have that in the back of your mind, knowing you have won there. It’s a very tough place to play,” Holbrook said.
St Helens were in danger of missing the top four in May when Holbrook succeeded Keiron Cunningham. The coach has the chance to emulate fellow Australian Peter Sharp, who took Hull to the grand final within six months.
“I’ve loved every minute since I got here,” said Holbrook, in his first job as a head coach. “The playing group have been fantastic.
“I haven’t needed to make any changes. I was happy with the playing group; it was about them changing the way they went about things on and off the field and they’ve done that.
“I’ve got confidence that we’re as good as any side.”
Holbrook has Jonny Lomax available, while Castleford’s influential halfback Luke Gale might play just 16 days after having his appendix removed.