Tigers' Westerman hopes home advantage can help fell Giants

‘Welcome to the jungle, we’ve got fun and games’ – Axl Rose may have been inspired to write the lyrics to the 1987 Guns N’ Roses hit by a visit to Seattle, but similar feelings may be elicited by those teams who travel to one corner of West Yorkshire each season.

Castleford Tigers' Mend-A-Hose Jungle - still Wheldon Road to those who remember the days before Tigers, Rhinos, Wolves and other wildlife were prowling the pitches of the Betfred Super League - has been home to the club since 1927 and, with local rivals Wakefield Trinity's Belle Vue now undergoing redevelopment, remains the last of the top-flight's traditional grounds.

The march of progress means the whole ground is planned to be modernised in the near future, but for now it remains somewhere which generates a unique atmosphere in rugby league with the fervent home fans so close to the edge of the pitch.

Castleford forward Joe Westerman, born in nearby Pontefract, has experienced it both as a supporter and a player, and with the Tigers' attendance so far this year averaging around 8,230 he is determined that the team keep making the most of that home advantage.

"It's massive," Westerman told Sky Sports. "You can put 6,000 in Cas and it feels like there are 16,000 there because it's an old-school kind of stadium

"I've been a Cas fan myself and there's nothing better than being stood on the terraces and seeing Cas win.

"We just need to keep performing, getting the fans behind us and I think we'll keep getting the wins."

Huddersfield Giants become the latest team to enter The Jungle in 2022 in the opening match of Round 17 of Super League's regular season, live on Sky Sports, and are aiming to record their seventh-straight win in the competition after a 38-10 win