A night in the Jungle

Friday 12th February 2010

I love a night out down at The Jungle. It's my favourite rugby league ground. Call me old fashioned if you like but the atmosphere down at Cas on a big game night say against Leeds or Bradford is very special indeed.

So I'll be heading down to Wheldon Road (as us oldtimers still call it) tonight to watch what promises to be a cracker against Warrington.

I dread to think how many pints were sunk in The Early Bath opposite the ground last weekend after the Tigers brilliant win at Leeds.

The big question is can they back up against the Wolves? Coach Terry Matterson is fully aware how tough it is to follow an emotionally draining win with another top performance and he will have been reminding his players of that on the training paddock this week.

Back in 2008, Cas defeated Leeds at The Jungle and then lost at Hull KR. The same year, they beat St Helens at home and then turned a shocker against Hull at The Jungle next time out. The same thing could happen again but it shouldn't with the coaching staff fully aware of the potential pitfall.

Warrington were red hot against injury hit Harlequins and scored some great tries but Quins were missing so many key men that we shouldn't carried away just yet with the Wolves. Regular readers will know that I fancy them to go well this year but I would prefer to see them against stronger opposition before going overboard.

Warrington have had some decent wins at Cas recently including a 34-18 success last season but generally there are few easy rides for visiting teams at The Jungle.

Looking at the betting, Warrington go off 1-2 favourites. Castleford are 2-1 and the draw 22-1. As far as the handicap goes, you can back the Wolves minus six or support the Tigers getting eight.

For me this is a match to watch and enjoy without getting too heavily involved. It will help us get a more informed opinion on how these two clubs will go in Super League XV.

I will be having a small bet on Cas eight start but whatever the result, it's a pretty safe bet it'll be another enjoyable night at The Jungle.

Back tomorrow with the Sunday selections