Paul Rowley named Castleford Tigers new head coach

Castleford hope Rowley can end their play-off drought

The club began looking for a new coach in August after Ryan Carr stepped down for personal reasons.

Rowley, 51, takes charge of a Castleford team that finished second from bottom in Super League last season, winning just eight of their 27 matches. 

They have not reached the play-offs since 2019, with only Bradford Bulls finishing below them in the table last year.

Despite their poor league position, Castleford received an A grade in the latest IMG club rankings, released last week.

Castleford set sights on first play-off appearance since 2019

Castleford director of rugby Chris Chester welcomed Rowley’s arrival, praising his experience in building competitive teams and helping players improve.

“Paul has a proven track record of building competitive teams, developing players and creating an attacking brand of rugby that supporters can get behind,” he said.

Rowley previously made his name at Salford Red Devils, guiding them to the play-offs in 2022 and 2024 with an attacking style of rugby. However, serious financial problems later hit the club.

His work at Salford led to him being appointed head coach of St Helens. However, injuries affected the team during his time there, and they finished sixth last season, missing out on the play-offs.

Rowley will now look to improve Castleford’s results and help the club return to the Super League play-offs for the first time since 2019.