Featherstone Rovers 4 Bradford Bulls 40

OF all the ways to make a statement about your promotion pedigree, going to a rival and giving them an absolute pasting is right up there.

The Bulls took Featherstone to the cleaners yesterday with a performance that had all the qualities Jimmy Lowes could wish for.

Indeed, the opening 40 minutes were as close to perfection as you could probably get.

Featherstone, playing downhill during a rain-soaked first half, dominated possession in the opening quarter and asked some serious questions of the Bulls’ defence.

Paul Sykes was prominent with the ball in hand and Paul Wood made several blockbusting carries which took some stopping.

Thankfully, the visitors had all the answers and were ruthlessly clinical with the chances that came their way.

Even though Chris Ulugia knocked on horribly close to his own line early on, he came back very strongly and scored the Bulls’ third try on the stroke of half-time before grabbing his second late on.

Featherstone battered the Bulls’ line at times during the opening 40 minutes but they simply could not score.

Lowes’ men repelled wave after wave of attacks and an 18-0 interval advantage was no more than they deserved.

You could only sit back and applaud the speed and the skill of the moves which harvested tries for the outstanding Lee Gaskell, stand-in skipper Adrian Purtell and Ulugia.

But do not underestimate how hard the Bulls had to work to keep their try-line intact.

That collective spirit, that refusal to buckle, was at the heart of a performance which Lowes could not fail to salute.

The Bulls could have taken their foot off the gas after the break. They did not.

Adam O’Brien, who enjoyed another fine match and another 80-minute display, took Dale Ferguson’s pass to dive under the posts for a fourth try immediately after the restart.

Soon after, a fifth visiting score arrived when Jean-Philippe Baile finished well in the right corner for his first try for the club.

But the try that Gaskell scored to seal the win in the 71st minute was all about brilliant individual ability as he easily outstripped the Featherstone defence by racing 60 metres to score.

It was so good that even the Featherstone fans behind the posts had to applaud.

It was pleasing for Lowes to have Ferguson back to make his first appearance of the season, while Epalahame Lauaki also made his debut off the bench.

All of a sudden, Lowes has options everywhere he looks, with Shaw staking a claim for a regular spot at full back and Jake Mullaney looking willing and able to maintain his partnership with Gaskell.

Up front, Dan Fleming is fit and waiting for a chance and competition for places is increasing.

The Bulls are steadily evolving under Lowes and the legendary former Bulls hooker can now look forward to the visit of Hunslet, the club where it all started for him, this coming Sunday.

On a cold, wet and miserable afternoon at Post Office Road, now known as the Big Fellas Stadium, the Bulls fans were protected from the elements in the two new stands.

The best part of 1,000 made the short trip across the M62 and saw their team defend like demons in the opening exchanges.

Ulugia clumsily knocked on close to his own line from a kick but the Bulls survived and had their first chance to attack when Gaskell found Alex Mellor, who also knocked on.

The conditions made life difficult but Gaskell kicking out on the full did nothing to ease the pressure on his team.

Featherstone thus had another chance to put pressure on the Bulls’ line, but a fine saving tackle from Ulugia denied Thomas Minns in the right corner.

That implacable challenge poured confidence into Ulugia and probably the entire Bulls team, as it summed up the desire to protect their line.

Having soaked up the pressure, the Bulls hit Featherstone with a vicious sucker-punch when Gaskell took Mullaney’s pass to scamper under the posts.

Gaskell celebrated the try before he had even grounded the ball and Shaw’s goal made it 6-0.

That gave the Bulls a platform on which to build and James Lockwood was then denied when he looked certain to score.

Samir Tahraoui made his mark off the bench in the first half and was held up over the line from Mullaney’s short pass.

Rovers full back Jy Hitchcock then embarked on a surging run from deep which was ended by a knock-on by Remy Marginet.

Marginet was one of three replacements made by Featherstone head coach Andy Hay as the hosts sought a breakthrough.

Wood and former Bulls loanee Jordan Baldwinson had looked strong for Rovers in the opening 20 minutes but the visitors struck again with two tries in four minutes before the break.

In the 37th minute, Purtell took Gaskell’s pass 20 metres out and showed impressive pace and strength to charge through the Featherstone defence for a fine individual score.

Purtell was commanding on the day he captained the side but things got even better for the Bulls as they grabbed a third try shortly before the interval hooter.

After Etu Uaisele was denied just short of the line, the Bulls worked the ball out wide and Purtell’s intelligent pass sent Ulugia over in the left corner.

Shaw’s third successful conversion made it 18-0 but it got even better within seconds of the resumption as O’Brien collected Ferguson’s pass to score under the posts.

Around five minutes later, the Bulls fashioned a delightful handling sequence which culminated in Baile crossing in the right corner after outmuscling the home defence.

At 30-0 up, it was time to get the cigars out.

That was Lowes’ only cause for complaint – his men sat back momentarily and were punished when James Lockwood crossed inside the left channel.

But Rovers lost Andy Bostock for a high tackle on O’Brien in the 72nd minute and the Bulls soon took advantage when Gaskell glided past the home defence from deep to grab his second try.

Featherstone were now a ragged bunch and Purtell’s pass sent Ulugia over for his second in the left corner, with Shaw failing for the first time with the boot.