SAINTS returned to winning ways to maintain their four-point lead at the Super League summit but a late hat-trick from Castleford wing Bureta Faraimo gave them a scare.

They were home and hosed at 20-0 entering the last quarter until the Tigers got a toe-hold in the game via their right edge.

But Saints were able to do enough to hang on in something of an unconvincing manner after looking a little disjointed at times.

Stung by last week's defeat at Salford, Jack Welsby moved up to 6 to partner Jonny Lomax and James Roby reverted to his natural hooking role with Joey Lussick dropping to the bench.

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Former Widnes Vikings junior Danny Hill came in on the left wing with Tommy Makinson returning on the right after a four-week lay off.

That meant Jon Bennison switched to full back after featuring on the wing in recent weeks.

Saints started strongly and were on the scoresheet after just four minutes when Curtis Sironen ran a good line and switched to beast mode to power past the challenges of Danny Richardson and Greg Eden to plant the ball down.

This was some effort from the Aussie packman who had been a doubt with a bicep injury after coming off in the previous game at Salford.

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Makinson tagged on extras to make it 6-0 and Saints doubled their lead on 16 minutes when Morgan Knowles was rewarded for his early endeavours when he powered on to a short ball close to the line, twisting in the tackle to force the ball down.

It was a just deserts for the loose forward, who made it his mission to single-handedly spearhead Saints’ defensive line-speed and aggression – putting in a number of bone-crunching hits in the process.

Makinson’s second goal made it 12 -0, but he missed the chance to augment that by two from a penalty when Liam Watts was sin-binned for a high tackle on Jonny Lomax.

Makinson missed a penalty goal after Lian Watts had gone high on Lomax and was sent to the sin-bin.

Saints sought to make their temporary numerical advantage tell, and although they created half chances they could not quite finish them.

Twice Lomax punted dangerous kicks right for Makinson, the first seeing the wingman tap back but Konrad Hurrell could not collect and the second he just could not collect cleanly enough to ground it.

In between those there were other opportunities, with a kick and chase from Welsby - coming off the back of a destructive Knowles carry – just bouncing out.

And right at the end of the half Bennison – who had a fine game taking high balls at full back – pierced the line and kicked smartly left but Danny Hill could not take it and the chance went begging.

It seemed inconsequential at the time, but the lack of real sharpness in their execution and then their subsequent failure to build anything as it became a little disjointed and scrappy.

There were reasons for some of that. Just before the break Saints lost Welsby with a head knock – but thankfully he recovered well enough to re-join the fray in the second half.

Saints started the second half well – and after a couple of early penalties they opted to convert the latter for a 14-0, three-score lead.

They had plenty of early defending to do – even more when Sironen was yellow carded for a hight shot and they battled on for 10 with 12.

Saints scored next and countered well when Lomax threaded through for Batchelor to chase – and a try given after multiple views. Makinson’s conversion made it 20-0 and what looked like a pretty unassailable lead going into the last quarter.

But Cas started their comeback on 64 minutes when Bureta Faraimo was too big and too strong for Hill to keep out.

They repeated the dose four minutes later, with Cas again working the ball to the right where Faraimo squeezed the ball down despite the joint efforts of Davies and Hill.

Crucially Richardson again missed the goal, but at 20-8 Tigers were sensing an impossible comeback.

Although Saints shuffled their right edge after Hill's shoulder injury, bringing Roby on as an unlikely centre and putting Davies on the flank, they could not prevent Faraimo’s treble that caused a few nervy moments at the end.

Thankfully Cas missed all three kicks – Saints winning by 20-12 but not convincing with it.

Saints: Bennison; Makinson, Hurrell, Davies, Hill; Welsby, Lomax; Walmsley, Roby, Lees, Sironen, Batchelor, Knowles. Subs; Lussick, McCarthy-Scarsbrook, Wingfield, Bell.

Castleford: Eden; Fairamo, Blair, Fonua, Olpherts; O'Brien, Richardson; Watts, McShane, Griffin, Edwards, Mellor, Westerman. Subs: Sutcliffe, Matagi, Martin, Feki.