Crusaders RL grabbed their ninth engage Super League victory of the season on a return to South Wales with a vital victory over Castleford Tigers.



It was a thrilling finale to a great clash at the Gnoll, Neath, which is more used to hosting the Welsh Premiership rugby union club than the 13-a-side code.



Over the past few weeks, Castleford, Wakefield Trinity Wildcats and Crusaders have been in a three-way battle for the last play-off place and so this first match back in South Wales since the switch from Bridgend to Wrexham was of real significance.



Castleford's victory over Wakefield last weekend threw the cat amongst the pigeons and took them into eighth place, four points ahead of the Welsh club.



So, with five matches left, it was pretty much do-or-die at Neath for Crusaders, who were without groin strain victim Gareth Thomas.



And, in the opening half-hour, it seemed like the Crusaders would again suffer another of the dreadful starts that have left them facing a mountain to climb at the break in other matches.



It was tight in the first 20 minutes, with loose forward Joe Westerman converting his own try for Castleford after 16 minutes and adding a second goal when full-back Ryan McGoldrick put through a neat grubber kick to the goal for stand-off Dean Widders to ground the ball.



Crusaders did not look to be in the match, although scrum-half Jarrod Sammut covered every blade of grass in scrambling to the rucks and pulling the opposition down in defence.



But the onslaught did not occur from Cas and the Crusaders' pressure on the visitors’ line paid off when stand-off Rhys Hanbury collected a loose ball to go over.



Four minutes from the break, a move inside the Cas 25 saw replacement forward Jordan James drive over. Both tries were converted by full-back Clinton Schifcofske to tie the match at 12-12.



The momentum looked to be shifting to the home side as second row Weller Hauraki quickly took the ball yards from the Cas line and drove over.



Schifcofske's conversion put the Welshmen into the lead for the first time in the match.



However, the lead did not last. Centre Michael Shenton went through a wide gap in the centre to touch down easily underneath the posts, and scrum-half Rangi Chase delivered the lead back to the Tigers.



With the clock ticking down, the Welsh crowd wanted a grandstand finish - and they got it with two tries in three minutes that resorted a six-point lead to the home side.



Centre Tony Martin latched onto a neat kick to the goal-line and just grounded it ahead of the cover.



Then Sammut got a well-deserved try under the posts which he celebrated with a cartwheel and backflip that would have done a decent gymnast proud.



Cas tried to grab the draw, with Westerman coming agonisingly close to his second touchdown of the game before the ball was turned over.



That was it for the Tigers as the Welsh club clung onto their play-off hopes.