Castleford Tigers vs St Helens Predictions: Back to winning ways for Saints?

St Helens needs a response to that heavy defeat at Hull KR last weekend when they travel to Castleford to take on the Tigers on Friday (20:00).

In his weekly column, club legend Paul Sculthorpe reflects on that loss to the Robins before sharing his Castleford Tigers vs St Helens predictions.

Knowing Paul Wellens like I do, he won’t rest until he’s established exactly what went wrong at Hull KR last week.

Saints' head coach was undeniably shell-shocked as the team were taken apart on Saturday, as the hosts ran out 40-20 winners.

Wello spoke post-match about the lack of defensive intent - something not usually associated with this club, especially over the last decade or so, which prides itself on the effort-based areas, speed of line and controlled aggression in defence.

He spoke to the players at half-time about that, but unfortunately things went from bad to worse, losing the second 40 by 24-6.

Coaches will inevitably come under scrutiny when times are tough and Wello is no different, but for me that performance lies with the players who crossed the whitewash. Indiscipline, basic errors with the ball and poor defensive play ultimately cost us the two points.

Take nothing away from Hull KR, though. They are probably the form team in the Betfred Super League right now and have climbed to fourth in the table as Saints drop to third on points difference.

Amazingly, there's now six clubs all on 14 points at the summit, making it one of the most competitive seasons of the Super League era.

Next up for Saints is a trip to the Jungle on Friday in what is now a must-win game. I expect a reaction and will go for a Saints win by 18 points or more.

In other news, the ever-changing league positions are a constant talking point, but one thing that is constantly dividing opinions is the referees' interpretation of the latest tackle techniques.

We all know the reasons for the clamp down on head contact and I fully support them, but we must also find a balance between that and constantly seeing players sat in the dug out for minor misdemeanours.

Rugby league is a high-speed contact sport, and one that attracts fans due to the fierce nature of the game. We cannot lose that.

Finally, it's now been confirmed that Saints' number seven Lewis Dodd will join the South Sydney Rabbitohs from next season on a three-year deal.

The 22-year-old, who has made 76 appearances in the Red V to date, has vowed to try and help bring more silverware to the Totally Wicked Stadium before his departure.

In my opinion, both Doddy and his teammates need to significantly up their game if this is to come true - and it must start this week with a statement against the 10th-placed, but significantly improving, Tigers.