Castleford Tigers director of rugby Chris Chester has confirmed that Rowan Milnes has left the club to join Hull KR on a short-term loan: hinting that his time with the Tigers may be over.
Milnes, as revealed by Hull Live on Wednesday morning, has agreed a deal to return to his former club to plug the gap left by Tyrone May’s suspension. He will be with KR for at least the next fortnight.
That will provide cover for Danny Richardson, who would have stepped into May’s shoes but is himself injured and set for a lengthy spell on the sidelines.
It is a shock move for Milnes, who now has an opportunity to play regularly with his chances at the Tigers seemingly limited.
And Chester confirmed that was the case on Wednesday in revealing that Milnes had indeed made the move.
He said: “Initially he’s going to go on a two-week loan. With them losing Danny Richardson and him being off-contract with us at the end of the season, his opportunities here are limited and we’re well underway with our recruitment for 2026.
“There’s a few halves we’re looking at and we know it’s a position we need to strengthen. It’s a good opportunity for Rowan to get some game-time.”
When Chester was asked about whether that signalled the end of his Milnes’ chances of a new contract at the Tigers beyond this season, the Castleford director of rugby was coy.
However, he did say: “He’s off-contract at the end of 2025.”
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