Leeds Rhinos 18, Bradford Bulls 18

There could have been no better place than Headingley for Francis Cummins and his vibrant young Bulls team to make a point.

Cummins’ men had already given everything during a tumultuous encounter but the 78th-minute sin-binning of Jamie Peacock gave the Bulls late hope.

Very late hope.

Wiith Peacock’s night having ended after a show of dissent and the clock ticking down, Heath L’Estrange’s pass found Adam Sidlow advancing at pace from close range.

The former Salford man was not to be stopped and he barrelled over the line from a central position in front of the massed ranks of Bradford supporters.

The Sky cameras quickly homed in on Cummins celebrating with a punch of the air.

It was pure theatre and said much for the desire and togetherness that Cummins’ men had showed after coming back from a nightmare start.

Jamie Foster stepped up to convert Sidlow’s try and confirm a share of the spoils for the Bulls.

It was no more than they deserved.

Peacock looked inconsolable on the sidelines.

Given that the drama came so late in the game, it almost felt like a victory for the Bulls.

Certainly that was how the several thousand Bradford supporters felt as they floated out of the Western Terrace at the end.

To come back against a champion team and rescue a hard-earned point is not easy.

It was not pretty at times either.

Not when tensions spilled over on several occasions during the second half, especially when Elliott Whitehead tackled Jamie Jones-Buchanan and Ryan Bailey went looking for a fight.

But the Bulls refused to throw in the towel after Peacock’s second-half try had put Leeds on course for victory.

Sidlow’s score was just reward for their sheer guts.

That it was a special occasion for Cummins was undeniable.

The Bulls coach grew up supporting Leeds as a South Stand regular and fulfilled a boyhood dream when he went on to play for them during a long and successful career.

He then joined the Rhinos’ coaching staff in 2005 and helped them to three Grand Final wins. Cummins’ contribution to those title successes is not forgotten nor under-estimated inside Headingley, where he remains a hugely popular figure.

Cummins speaks constantly of the need for his players to invest in their careers and a vibrant young team is emerging.

During the early stages of last night’s match, however, they looked like their legs were still on the plane that brought them back from Catalan last Sunday.

The Bulls endured a nightmare start when Leeds led after just 24 seconds from Kevin Sinfield’s kick-off.

After failing to deal with the Leeds captain’s kick, the Bulls immediately found themselves on the back foot and quick hands from Rob Burrow and Sinfield invited Kallum Watkins to run at the visiting defence.

The England star collected possession ten metres out and was too quick for Jarrod Sammut as he dummied past the Bulls half-back to glide over in the right corner.

Sinfield converted – and the Bulls had a lucky escape three minutes later when a kick from Joel Moon was missed horribly by Brett Kearney.

England winger Ryan Hall collected the loose ball and stretched out an arm to ground the ball but the try was disallowed by video referee Ian Smith.

Jones-Buchanan was spotted in an offside position but it was a let-off for the Bulls, who gradually awoke from their slumber.

In the tenth minute a kick from Sammut pinned Leeds back inside their own 20-metre line and gave the Bulls a little breathing space.

Chev Walker, one of three former Rhinos players in the Bulls side – along with Nick Scruton and Matt Diskin – chosen to start ahead of L’Estrange – required facial treatment after picking up a knock.

After some fine work from Danny Addy, the Bulls worked the ball from left to right, with Foster twice involved in a fine handling sequence which culminated in Whitehead brilliantly ushering Adrian Purtell over the line from close range.

Foster added the extras and belief flooded through Cummins’ players.

Purtell had not scored a try since touching down in a Challenge Cup defeat at Warrington in April last year, a month before he suffered a heart attack which put his life under threat, never mind his career.

Soon after, Sammut kicked a 40-20 to increase the pressure on the hosts and suddenly the Bulls were in the ascendancy. It was a remarkable turnaround and a teasing grubber kick from Sammut almost put Foster in at the left corner.

The Bulls continued to probe and Sammut came increasingly to the fore as the first half progressed. So too did Diskin, who was a constant menace around the ruck and always looked capable of making something happen.

In the 20th minute, Sammut was pivotal in a move which saw him denied close to the Leeds line before Tom Olbison scooped up possession and darted over from acting half.

It was a sweet moment for Leeds-born Olbison and Foster’s conversion put Bradford 12-6 up.

Soon after, Addy narrowly failed to ground the ball from close range, with video Smith confirming as much. Yet the Bulls continued to ask some serious questions of Leeds as the first half progressed, with Sammut at the heart of all their best moves.

But after Sammut was penalised for holding down, Leeds quickly marched the Bulls upfield and some delightful handling close to the line led to Sinfield sending replacement forward Mitch Achurch over the line.

Sinfield converted to level the scores at 12-12 before John Bateman came on to replace Walker at loose forward.

Leeds began the second half on the front foot and began to push the Bulls back towards their own line.

But it was a scrappy opening to the second period and neither side managed to gain too much of a foothold.

With 53 minutes played though, Peacock took a short pass from Burrow and crashed over the line despite the attention of a clutch of Bulls players.

Sinfield converted to put Leeds 18-12 before Kylie Leuluai caught Keith Lulia late with a vicious high shot.

The Bulls enjoyed two penalties in quick succession, forcing Leeds to defend their line furiously.

On the hour mark, Foster escaped down the left flank but his inside pass, intended for Sammut, was wayward and the opportunity was lost.

Scruton then went close with a barnstorming run before the Bulls forced the hosts to drop out, leading to another spell of pressure on the Leeds line.

Diskin was prominent with some excellent sniping around the ruck – and Sammut was not far behind him – but the Rhinos held firm.

Tension mounted late on when Whitehead tackled Jones-Buchanan and Leeds forward Bailey sparked a melee involving several players.

The drama had barely begun.

With two minutes remaining, Peacock was shown a yellow card for dissent and the Bulls made them pay when Sidlow powered over.

It was a fitting end to a memorable derby.

Attendance: 16,604