Brian Noble admitted his side were beaten "by the better team" as they crashed to a 46-22 defeat at Knowsley Road.

Saints bounced back in perfect fashion from their World Club Challenge capitulation, robbing the Bulls of their unbeaten opening day record with a devastating spell of four tries in a torrid 11 first-half minutes for Bradford.

Although the visitors put up a spirited effort after the break, the damage was done in the opening 40 minutes of Super League VIII as Ian Millward's men once again proved they are the side to beat.

And Noble admitted that it was last week's 38-0 loss to the Sydney City Roosters that inspired Saints to come back in style.

"It was the worst possible result for us," said a frustrated-looking Noble after the defeat.

"They obviously had a point to prove and they proved it, but I don't think there is much between these two teams and that will pan out through the year.

"We were ready to play but at times didn't seem to have the mental toughness to deal with what Saints were throwing at us."

Saints coach Ian Millward was delighted with his side's improvement.

"There were two good teams out there and the skill level for this time of year for both teams was outstanding," said Millward, who took a pop at the media in the post-match press conference, accusing them of over-hyping the match and not giving his side enough respect.

"I thought Bradford did well. They are a good team and they will be very hard to beat whenever we play them."

Many had predicted the Bulls were seeking revenge for their 19-18 Grand Final defeat last October, and the outspoken Saints boss was more than happy to silence his critics.

"I thought the party was set up for quite a few months but unfortunately we spoiled it, didn't we," he said.

"There were only three lots of people who thought we could win this game: our fans, our board and our players."

But Noble is keen to remain positive about the season: "We were a little off the pace at times but there is nothing I haven't seen which isn't fixable."