Atoni on swapping sides in Rivals Round

Renouf Atoni is gearing up for an Easter Sunday showdown as Castleford Tigers take on his former club Wakefield Trinity in Rivals Round.

Having settled into life at Castleford – just five miles down the road from his old side – Atoni is enjoying every moment with his new teammates whilst preparing for what promises to be the mother of all local derbies.

“I’ve really been enjoying my time at Cas,” Atoni said, who signed a two-year-deal with the Tigers starting from 2026.

“The boys have been all welcoming and it’s been going really good.”

Last Thursday, Castleford responded to their horrific 72-10 defeat away at Warrington Wolves with a thrilling 40-28 home victory over Bradford Bulls, and Atoni admitted the result has lifted the mood of everyone in the squad:

“The feeling around the clock is good. The boys are feeling good and I feel like it was the response we needed from the week before when we lost to Warrington. The feeling of embarrassment kind of didn't go away and it just shows how much it means to us. None of us want to feel like that again and even thinking about it now it's still tough to think about!”

Atoni spent three seasons with Castleford's fiercest rivals Wakefield, making 67 appearances in the red, white and blue between 2023 and 2025, and establishing himself as a key figure in the pack and a popular presence within the squad and among the fanbase.

A decision to swap sides is always very daring - especially when it involves local rivals - but now firmly settled in his new surroundings, Atoni is relishing the prospect of facing his old teammates on Sunday:

“I’m heaps excited. Don’t get me wrong, it is just another game but there is a little extra feeling in this one.

“I'm still really close with some of the boys and there’s been a bit of banter going on during the week about the game but I'm really keen to go out there and go up against all of them.

“It’s massive for the town. Coming to Castleford was always a hard job when you were at Wakefield.

“And when Cas fill out the stadium, it’s always something special and I’m looking forward to being on the Cas side of things.

“Friends during the week, but not friends for 80 minutes!”

Atoni has quickly embraced life in Castleford colours, and spoke about what it means to represent the club and its supporters:

“I enjoy playing here especially when you're representing the club - you can feel how much this jersey and this emblem means to the people of this town and we just always hope that we can represent this town with a lot of pride and respect.

“It's been a good week so far, we're slowly easing into our match against Wakey. It's been a nice start to the week - it's a long turnaround for us with playing last Thursday and not until Easter Sunday, so everyone’s been building slowly into this game and hopefully by Sunday we'll be ready to go.”

The powerhouse prop is expecting nothing less than a battle royal between the two neighbours - and for Atoni - it's friends turned foes:

“Wakefield are a good team – they’re very competitive. They like to grind their way into games and it's going to be a tough battle between us and hopefully we can show up for the fans and get the job done.”

And with the Easter Sunday clash fast approaching, Atoni had one final message for the Castleford faithful:

“Cas fans - come down and support the boys. Your support means the world to us and really helps us play, when we hear the encouragement from you guys. It’s always appreciated and we’re looking forward to seeing you on Sunday!”

Which side will enjoy Rivals Round success?

Are you ready for Rivals Round? Round 7 of the Betfred Super League gets underway with a blockbuster triple-header on Good Friday (live across Sky Sports and SuperLeague+).

All games will be broadcasted live, and fixture information can be found here.