Harlequins RL's dismal run of away form accounted for the final nail being hammered into their play-off hopes in the Jungle at Castleford Tigers on Saturday.

The Stoop side have not won on the road in Super League since Henry Paul's last-gasp drop goal at Salford in May delivered a valuable two points - a run of six defeats.

In stark contrast, the scalps of Bradford Bulls and Hull FC have been claimed in front of their own fans in recent weeks, going some way to banishing fears of the drop.

Wakefield's weekend defeat at St Helens still gives Quins some breathing space and one win from the final two home games - against Wigan Warriors on Saturday or Salford the following week - will guarantee survival.

A poor opening quarter, in which the visitors were unable to retain possession, set the tone for an error-strewn 27-12 defeat at Castleford, who raced into a 10-point lead courtesy of tries from Luke Dyer and Ryan McGoldrick.

Quins hit back through Paul Sykes and Danny Williams to briefly take the lead, but that proved the end of the scoring for the visitors, as Peter Lupton put the Tigers back in front on the stroke of half time.

Willie Manu and Adam Fletcher added further scores in the second half and, although Quins threatened on a number of occasions, Danny Sculthorpe's drop-goal killed off any lingering hopes of a fightback.

It left former London Bronco Terry Matterson, now in charge at the Jungle, to fire a warning for anyone thinking the relegation battle had been settled.

"Everyone was telling us we would make the play-off semi-finals a few weeks ago," he said after Castleford breathed life into their fight for survival.

"I never entertained that thought and the way Wakefield pushed St Helens last night shows it is not over. I don't usually show a lot of emotion but it has been a tough month and the boys did me proud."

Quins must put the disappointment behind them quickly before they entertain a resurgent Wigan outfit.

Brian Noble's men pulled off a stunning 38-16 victory over the Bulls at the JJB Stadium on Friday night to move one point ahead of the Stoop outfit in the engage Super League table.