Exasperating Bulls stoop to new low (From Bradford Telegraph and Argus)

Exasperating Bulls stoop to new low

8:04pm Sunday 3rd August 2008

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Harlequins 36 Bulls 24

A brilliant second-half comeback was all in vain as the maddening Bulls lost out dramatically at the Twickenham Stoop.

Steve McNamara had talked about problems with his side’s inconsistency beforehand and yesterday’s frustrating performance was another clear example of that failing.

Woeful Bradford were 22-0 down at the break after some shocking defensive mistakes led to Harlequins storming clear.

But they sorted themselves out in the second period, stunned their hosts with a four-try flourish to take an incredible 24-22 lead – only to lose it again at the death.

Bradford-born winger Rikki Sheriffe broke his home-town team’s hearts by coming up with the crucial 73rd-minute decider.

It left McNamara’s side clinging onto sixth spot, with a visit to Leeds on Friday night.

They can’t afford to lose any more games in the manner they did this one and the champions certainly won’t give them a second sniff.

Missing skipper Paul Deacon, Iestyn Harris stood up in the second half and his influence – alongside the likes of relentless forwards Andy Lynch, Simon Finnigan and Jamie Langley – proved key in that comeback, but too much damage had been done.

Bradford lacked imagination in that first period and were far too predictable, while defensively their right-hand side was ruthlessly exploited by Quins.

Dave Halley had a fourth-minute effort ruled out for a forward pass off ex-Quins man Paul Sykes but after that Bradford struggled to create any real opportunities.

Then came the points avalanche. Quins full back Chris Melling scored the first on 17 minutes, hitting prop Danny Ward’s drop-off up the middle and easing home from 30 metres.

The Bulls were light in defence as Simon Finnigan was still coming to his senses, stumbling around in back play after copping a smash in the head attempting a previous tackle.

Quins – as they did all afternoon – clinically exploited the space left by the second-row’s absence and Rob Purdham booted the conversion.

Will Sharp was in for the first of his hat-trick just four minutes later, capitalising on a bad Bulls error after Michael Platt had fumbled in the tackle inside his own 20.

Howell punished Bradford’s right-hand side again with a 35th-minute touchdown which Quins skipper Purdham curled over from wide out.

His buoyant side hit the shell-shocked visitors again in the restart set.

The classy Purdham romped down their right channel again from halfway and with Halley having crept in, Howell was able to put Sharp over in the corner.

Purdham couldn’t convert this time but at 22-0 his side – who leaked 66 points against Castleford last time out – were scenting a victory that could still put them in play-off contention.

The second half didn’t start any better for listless Bradford as Platt allowed Purdham’s restart to bounce dead, putting his side immediately under the cosh.

They played some better football though and Finnigan was unlucky not to score after Jeffries and Harris ran it on the last, a floored Chad Randall fortunate to be in the right place as the second-rower tried hurdling his way to the line.

Finnigan wasn’t to be denied though and finally got his team on the board in the 47th minute, hitting a lovely long flat pass from Harris that opened up the Quins line.

Harris added the extras and Bradford lifted the spirit of the travelling support when Semi Tadulala forced his way over in the corner just three minutes later.

The try was just reward after McNamara’s side showed some fighting spirit, pushing Quins back over their own line to force a drop-out.

In the next set, Jeffries linked well with Solomona, who squeezed out a pass for Tadulala to grab his 19th of the campaign.

Harris’s kick saw the Bulls trail 22-12 and some of Quins’ first-half enthusiasm was visibly draining.

When Jeffries scored a third try in just ten minutes, the Londoners were shaking.

Quins prop Gareth Haggerty felled Harris with a high tackle in front of the posts to concede the penalty, Lynch charged it in and produced a great off-load to Newton, whose delicate grubber caught Quins napping, allowing the alert Jeffries to pounce.

Harris’s kick saw his side back to within four points but it needed a vital tackle from the increasingly influential scrum half to maintain the momentum.

Purdham had stepped out of Halley’s effort and looked to have put Sharp in for his hat-trick but Harris covered brilliantly to deny any score.

Bradford were thankful for Tony Clubb’s stupidity as well when the Quins centre opted against giving wingman Sherriffe an easy run-in, ignoring the overlap and getting smothered as he came back on the inside.

It looked like it might have cost the hosts because Lynch crashed over soon after, swivelling out of three tacklers on the line to get a deserved score and leave his team-mates ecstatic.

Harris’s fourth conversion put them ahead for the first time at 24-22 and it seemed a miraculous comeback was on the cards.

But there was still 14 minutes remaining and when Bradford – who had tidied up their game immeasurably to get into that winning position – slipped back into their old ways, the danger was always there.

Tadulala and Langley both knocked on coming out of their own half to hand Quins a lifeline and, although the defence stood firm to somehow stop Randall burrowing over, it broke on 73 minutes.

Howell came back to haunt them by making a break up the middle and, with the Bulls defence in disarray, Orr spotted space in behind, chipping to the corner where Sherrife – whose brother Jode played for Bulls Reserve Grade in the curtain-raiser – dived in.

Purdham did his bit from the touchline again and Quins scored twice more in the last two minutes – Clubb and then Sharp with his treble on the hooter, both unconverted – to rub it into those Bulls wounds.

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