SAINTS marched on at the top of the Super League table with an emphatic win at Castleford, with a few late concessions and Ben Barba’s limping off taking just a little shine away from it late on.

But only a little - it had been a magnificent performance as Saints continue to lay down the marker.

Three times now that Saints have played last year's League Leaders - and three times they have walloped them.

It was the second time in a fortnight that Saints have emerged from the Jungle with the spoils and this victory was well-earned.

Make no mistake, Cas, buoyed by the previous week’s Magic win over Leeds, came out to do a job on Saints.

Still lacking Luke Gale, Cas may miss the guile, but they have still got plenty of firepower up front.

Physically, for an early first half spell, they threw plenty at Saints.

But Saints’ pack was more than equal to the task with strong efforts again from Luke Thompson, Kyle Amor and especially Dom Peyroux.

And behind them man of the match Jonny Lomax was masterful in probing and running.

Saints opened the scoring when Kyle Amor bashed through with relative ease from a Jon Wilkin pass, before Cas responded with a Mike McMeeken score from their first real period of pressure.

Saints tightened up defensively after that – with Cas having two disallowed after defensive pressure.

There were some big physical clashes, with Peyroux, in particular, putting in some monster hits.

Saints took control thanks to a length of the field Ben Barba try, after a Cas high kick, with the impressive Jonny Lomax slipping through for Saints’ third.

Lomax had a strong game, starting in the halves and then having to move to full back, and he sent Peyroux through a hole for another well-worked score to make it 22-4 at the break.

Saints remained in the ascendancy in the second half and a quick double from Ryan Morgan, just like lastr week, pushing the score on.

Both were fine tries as Saints cut loose, with Adam Swift popping an inside ball back for Morgan to score.

Lomax was the architect for the next, with a weaving, darting run before floating the ball right for the advancing Australian centre to saunter over.

Saints lost Barba to a leg injury, but initially the reshuffle had no impact – with the ball going left where Regan Grace sent sub Theo Fages over.

With the points already heading back to St Helens, Cas rallied late in the game with tries from Jy Hitchcox, Jake Trueman and Oliver Holmes making the scoreline respectable.

Saints had the last word when another fine break from Lomax sent the supporting Fages over for his second.

Saints: Barba; Swift, Morgan, Percival, Grace; Lomax, Richardson; Amor, Roby, Thompson, Peyroux, Taia, Wilkin. Subs: Fages, McCarthy-Scarsbrook, Douglas, Knowles.

Castleford Tigers: Shenton; Minikin, Roberts, Foster, Hitchcox; Ellis, Trumean; Watts, McShane, Sene-Lefao, Holmes, McMeeken, Milner. Subs: Moors, Millington, Massey, Cook.