Danny McGuire Criticizes Captain’s Challenge Rule After Castleford’s Loss

By Wilson Maina

Danny McGuire is not satisfied with the captain’s challenge, saying it is damaging the game.

Though the Tigers lost 34-24 to the Warrington Wolves in Round 13, Castleford coach Danny McGuire still praised how his team played despite his criticism.

Trailing by 16 points at halftime, the Tigers put up a strong second half, but the Challenge Cup champion St. Helens defended their lead. It was Castleford’s 10th defeat throughout the 2025 campaign.

“It seems that outcomes matter more than anything else, doesn’t it? But we did some real positives as well,” said McGuire after the match. “We played some nice attacking rugby and battled well as the game finished up,” he added.

Injuries were a big issue for Castleford, with Joe Westerman having to pull out late and captain Alex Mellor being taken off after being hurt.

“There’s been a lot happening this week,” McGuire said.

Tom Amone, Muizz Mustapha, and Joe Westerman left the team in the morning, and their leader, Alex Mellor, was removed from the match.

McGuire was hopeful about the team’s future performance, adding, “We will keep putting in our best efforts. All the training and planning will begin, and soon we’ll start improving. A bit of time is all it will take, although I’m very happy with how hard they’re working,” he added.

Yet, McGuire joined in on the criticism of the captain’s challenge rule, which started this season. Warrington won two matches, but Castleford lost all three.

Speaking during the post-match interview, McGuire said, “For me, it’s all about stopping the game, and I think the rhythm is gone from our contests now.”

He noted that there have been some good ideas in their game, but he wasn't particularly fond of that one.