Kevin Sinfield suffered a losing start in his new role at Leeds Rhinos as the struggling Super League champions lost 42-10 to Castleford Tigers in a repeat of the 2017 Grand Final.
Club legend Sinfield has been appointed as Leeds' director of rugby following the departure of head coach Brian McDermott, who was sacked after overseeing seven straight league defeats.
Tom Briscoe did score a pair of first-half tries to raise the possibility of the miserable run coming to an end, only for the Rhinos to concede 26 points without reply after the break.
Jake Trueman and Jesse Sene-Lefao both crossed twice as Castleford cut loose and, to add injury to insult, Leeds saw captain Stevie Ward forced off in the second half.
While Daryl Powell's Tigers climb to third in the table, their Yorkshire rivals are facing the prospect of playing in the Qualifiers for the second time in three seasons.
As Sinfield watched his side be ripped apart by the Tigers, former Leeds team-mate Danny McGuire was playing a starring role in Sunday’s other top-flight fixture.
McGuire scored a hat-trick of tries as Hull KR – who have signed Todd Carney on a short-term deal, reuniting the experienced half-back with former Australia coach Tim Sheens – cruised to a 52-22 victory over Salford Red Devils.
Will Oakes touched down twice in the rout as Rovers leapfrogged over their opponents to take 10th place in the table, in the process boosting their hopes of qualifying for the Super 8s.
