The calendar needs a rethink; Denny Solomona and Brian McDermott discuss Castleford v Leeds Rhinos; and the joy of Good Friday at the Garden GateBy Gavin Willacy for No Helmets Required,part of the Guardian Sport NetworkCastleford was buzzing final Thursday evening when Leeds came to town. Two hours before kick-off, the Glass Blower pub was rammed, or not a seat to be had. An hour from kick-off and thousands streamed down Wheldon Road and into the Jungle,filling the terraces and the bars. Others stopped off at the pub across the road whose car park overflowed with customers. This was far more than a just a joust for local supremacy: it was the biggest sports event in Britain that day.“We ‘ate Rhinos,” sang the Cas fans in instant response to Andy Lynch’s opening try, and their Brett Ferres-baiting also far outweighing the chants to support their own team. The Jungle was bouncing,alive, vibrant. The ground may not be there much longer – work on the modern stadium is set to start this autumn and be total in 2018 – but it is a fun shed, and where a small club set aside on a highly impressive,co-ordinated entertainment show. And when the two teams are so well-matched that no one scores for a tense half hour before the home side snatch a late win over their Goliath neighbours, the ingredients made a perfect dish for the Tigers and the neutral.
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Source: theguardian.com