The Leopards were twice pegged back by a determined Tigers side after opening up 12-point leads at the Progress With Unity Stadium, but ultimately did enough to record their ninth victory from 11 outings.
Castleford were much improved from the team thrashed 48-6 by Wakefield last week and were aggrieved when Jason Qareqare had a try disallowed – for a second time in the afternoon – late on.
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David Armstrong impressed for Leigh, creating the first try for the equally influential Lachlan Lam and scoring two himself. Umyla Hanley also got on the scoresheet and Adam Cook converted all four tries.
Cas thought they had taken an early lead when Qareqare crashed over in the corner but replays showed him grounding his arm in touch as he dived over.
Leigh made the most of the reprieve to open the scoring a minute later with Armstrong bursting through a gap before he dabbed a clever kick inside for Lam to gather and score under the posts.
Castleford supporters may have feared another heavy defeat after their Magic Weekend mauling by Wakefield when Armstrong increased the advantage on 16 minutes.
But the Tigers responded well to level the scores before the interval, starting as Sam Hall won a race to touch down from a Daejarn Asi kick.
Fijian winger Mikaele Ravalawa added another when he forced his way over out wide after a good run from Phoenix Laulu-Togaga’e and quick hands from Louis Senior created an opening.
The Leopards restored their superiority after the restart as Lam got away a grubber kick under pressure and Hanley pounced as the ball bobbled into the in-goal area.
Lam was the architect of another try soon another, unlocking the defence with a dummy and releasing Hughes, who in turn sent Armstrong clear for his second.
Castleford refused to give up and fought on, even after Senior was sin-binned for catching the head of Armstrong in a tackle.
Qareqare was left cursing his luck when he had a second try controversially ruled out by the video referee, this time for an obstruction.
Laulu-Togaga’e still set up a grandstand finish when he found a hole in the Leigh defence to score on the right five minutes from time but the hosts held off late pressure to claim a valuable two points.
Super League 2026 – upcoming key dates
- Rivals Round reversed: July 23-July 26
- Elimination Play-offs: September 19-September 20
- Play-off semi-finals: September 26-September 27
- Grand Final: October 3
Sky Sports will show every game of the Super League live this season, including two matches each round exclusively live. The remaining five matches will be broadcast on Sky Sports+.
