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Bulls 48
Rhinos 22
Bradford Bulls charged to the top of Tetley's Rugby Super League and ended Leeds' unbeaten start to the season with a superb 48-22 defeat of the Rhinos at Odsal on Friday night.
The second-versus-top clash had been eagerly anticipated and was seen by a bumper crowd of 21,784, but the Bulls effectively turned the game into a non-event by racing into a 38-6 lead inside 50 minutes.
It was as comprehensive a showing as Bradford have produced all season as they backed up their Challenge Cup Final win over the Rhinos with an eight-try blitz.
The Bulls got off to a wonderful start, with James Lowes taking a Joe Vagana offload and sending Tevita Vaikona in at the corner inside four minutes.
Leeds cut the gap to two points with a long-range Kevin Sinfield penalty, but the Bulls' outside backs were doing all the damage, especially Shontayne Hape and Lesley Vainikolo down the left.
Gary Connolly was needed to stop one Hape break as the Kiwi looked to step through, but the Bulls did push their lead out to 6-2 on 15 minutes through a Paul Deacon penalty.
Sinfield pulled two points back after interference on Danny Ward, and he then levelled the game from half way after Deacon sent the restart out on the full.
But it was a Deacon grubber on the half hour which saw the game swing fully in Bradford's favour.
Mark Calderwood would often have sent the ball high into the new corporate stand behind the goal at Odsal, but he sliced his clearance and Danny Gartner nipped in to score.
That sparked a Bulls onslaught, with Deacon converting and then sending Paul Anderson bullocking through a gaping hole to plunder his way over.
And, with three minutes remaining in the half, Lee Gilmour and Scott Naylor kept the ball alive for Robbie Paul to cross.
The Bulls skipper emulated Wigan's Kris Radlinski in reaching 100 tries in Super League's regular weekly rounds, while another Deacon converson ensured that Bradford entered half time 24-6 to the good.
That advantage was extended further within 72 seconds of the restart, Danny Ward's knock on giving Bradford the ball and Vainikolo powering through four men on his way to the line.
Deacon goaled and added a penalty before an excellent breakaway try on 47 minutes effectively put the Bulls out of reach at 38-6.
Paul handed Vaikona the ball after fielding a kick, and he charged past Chev Walker and up the wing before drawing Gary Connolly and allowing Karl Pratt to gleefully race the final 30 yards to the line against the club who released him at the end of last season.
Walker pulled a try back when he crossed out wide on 56 minutes, and the comeback continued when, after Paul lost the ball in Sinfield's tackle after breaking through, Calderwood raced 80 metres to touch down under the posts.
Leeds had suddenly sparked into life, but 38-16 would prove too much of a gap for Daryl Powell's previously unbeaten side to breach.
Vainikolo added a second try on the nod of the video referee after losing the ball when he out-jumped Calderwood to a Deacon bomb on 63 minutes, the conversion giving the hosts a 44-16 lead.
Leeds had the consolation of scoring one of the tries of the evening, Rob Burrow and Chris McKenna freeing Calderwood up the right before Sinfield supported to touch down a add the goal.
But allowing the kick off to go dead typified the Rhinos' error-ridden evening, and Bradford saw Vaikona complete his double for the evening late on and enable the Bulls to jump to the Super League summit.
"We were impressive and I am delighted," said Bulls coach Brian Noble. "I thought we were very good with the ball and I think most of the things they got, we gave them.
"There is a long way to go and it is about two points. Leeds will be disappointed, but they will bounce back.
"We have been improving week by week since the first game of the season, when we got our backsides kicked by a similar score (at St Helens)."
www.tetleys
Rhinos 22
Bradford Bulls charged to the top of Tetley's Rugby Super League and ended Leeds' unbeaten start to the season with a superb 48-22 defeat of the Rhinos at Odsal on Friday night.
The second-versus-top clash had been eagerly anticipated and was seen by a bumper crowd of 21,784, but the Bulls effectively turned the game into a non-event by racing into a 38-6 lead inside 50 minutes.
It was as comprehensive a showing as Bradford have produced all season as they backed up their Challenge Cup Final win over the Rhinos with an eight-try blitz.
The Bulls got off to a wonderful start, with James Lowes taking a Joe Vagana offload and sending Tevita Vaikona in at the corner inside four minutes.
Leeds cut the gap to two points with a long-range Kevin Sinfield penalty, but the Bulls' outside backs were doing all the damage, especially Shontayne Hape and Lesley Vainikolo down the left.
Gary Connolly was needed to stop one Hape break as the Kiwi looked to step through, but the Bulls did push their lead out to 6-2 on 15 minutes through a Paul Deacon penalty.
Sinfield pulled two points back after interference on Danny Ward, and he then levelled the game from half way after Deacon sent the restart out on the full.
But it was a Deacon grubber on the half hour which saw the game swing fully in Bradford's favour.
Mark Calderwood would often have sent the ball high into the new corporate stand behind the goal at Odsal, but he sliced his clearance and Danny Gartner nipped in to score.
That sparked a Bulls onslaught, with Deacon converting and then sending Paul Anderson bullocking through a gaping hole to plunder his way over.
And, with three minutes remaining in the half, Lee Gilmour and Scott Naylor kept the ball alive for Robbie Paul to cross.
The Bulls skipper emulated Wigan's Kris Radlinski in reaching 100 tries in Super League's regular weekly rounds, while another Deacon converson ensured that Bradford entered half time 24-6 to the good.
That advantage was extended further within 72 seconds of the restart, Danny Ward's knock on giving Bradford the ball and Vainikolo powering through four men on his way to the line.
Deacon goaled and added a penalty before an excellent breakaway try on 47 minutes effectively put the Bulls out of reach at 38-6.
Paul handed Vaikona the ball after fielding a kick, and he charged past Chev Walker and up the wing before drawing Gary Connolly and allowing Karl Pratt to gleefully race the final 30 yards to the line against the club who released him at the end of last season.
Walker pulled a try back when he crossed out wide on 56 minutes, and the comeback continued when, after Paul lost the ball in Sinfield's tackle after breaking through, Calderwood raced 80 metres to touch down under the posts.
Leeds had suddenly sparked into life, but 38-16 would prove too much of a gap for Daryl Powell's previously unbeaten side to breach.
Vainikolo added a second try on the nod of the video referee after losing the ball when he out-jumped Calderwood to a Deacon bomb on 63 minutes, the conversion giving the hosts a 44-16 lead.
Leeds had the consolation of scoring one of the tries of the evening, Rob Burrow and Chris McKenna freeing Calderwood up the right before Sinfield supported to touch down a add the goal.
But allowing the kick off to go dead typified the Rhinos' error-ridden evening, and Bradford saw Vaikona complete his double for the evening late on and enable the Bulls to jump to the Super League summit.
"We were impressive and I am delighted," said Bulls coach Brian Noble. "I thought we were very good with the ball and I think most of the things they got, we gave them.
"There is a long way to go and it is about two points. Leeds will be disappointed, but they will bounce back.
"We have been improving week by week since the first game of the season, when we got our backsides kicked by a similar score (at St Helens)."
www.tetleys
