Mauling for Bulls

Bradford Bulls have often talked about becoming the Manchester Uniteds of rugby league.

And they certainly went some way along that path in four glorious months last winter when they won the Tetley's Super League Grand Final and the World Club Championship.

But, as with United, when they lose the occasional match, people sit up and take notice.

And when they lose two in a row - as the Bulls have now done - well the tremors are of seismic proportions.

Having gone down 50-22 to St Helens ten days ago to lose an unbeaten home record stretching back to July, 2000, the Bulls have now lost two successive matches for the first time since August, 1998.

Then they went down 33-25 at St Helens, and followed it with a 25-12 setback at Halifax.

Ironically, two games before the Saints clash they had also come up short in two straight games - at home to Sheffield (38-18) and against London at Hearts FC (22-8) - in what was a very poor season by their usual high standards.

But much credit should also be given to Championship-chasing dark horses Castleford, whose stunning seven-try victory put them back into seventh place in the table with a fourth successive win.

The Bulls, clearly suffering a hangover from the humiliation at the hands of St Helens, now trail Saints by two points after hitting their worst form of the season a month before the knockout phase begins.

Play-off seeking Cas have also beaten St Helens and taken a point from Wigan at The Jungle this season, but this was their best scalp yet and signalled their own title aspirations.

The in-form Tigers, who avenged a 32-8 home defeat by the Bulls in May, were in control for virtually the whole match and shook the champions with the ferocity of their tackling.

Although they had the encouragement of a penalty goal from Paul Deacon and a disallowed try from Scott Naylor, Bradford looked disjointed from the kick-off and quickly found themselves 12-2 down.

Winger Waine Pryce - Leon's cousin - grabbed the first try on 12 minutes after Danny Orr's long ball exposed a gap on the Bradford right flank, and scrum half Mitch Healey added a second nine minutes later, scooping up the ball after Bulls full back Michael Withers had been deceived by a wicked bounce.

With Tigers hooker Wayne Bartrim in the sin bin - along with Bulls second-rower Jamie Peacock a minute later - for holding down in the tackle, skipper Orr took over the goal-kicking and put over both conversions.

It could have been even worse for the champions, with Tigers centre Barrie-Jon Mather having a try disallowed, and the Bulls' cause wasn't helped when they lost influential hooker James Lowes with a badly-cut head.

They pulled a try back when substitute Leon Pryce forced his way over from Robbie Paul's pass close to the line, but opportunist tries either side of half-time from Andy Johnson, after breaking through flimsy tackling, and Jon Wells put them firmly in command.

And two further quick-fire tries from Mather and man-of-the-match Orr, who opened up the Bradford defence with an outrageous dummy and sprinted 40 metres to the line, enabled the Tigers to open up a 32-8 lead after only 54 minutes.

The return of Lowes helped settle the champions and Deacon forced his way over for a consolation try in which he also suffered a cut head and had to leave the field.

But Castleford, buoyed by an increasingly joyous third biggest home crowd of the season - the attendance was bettered only by Widnes (8,192) and Leeds (10,071) - were simply irresistible and Orr's sweetly-timed pass put second-rower Lee Harland through a gap for his side's seventh try.

Bartrim kicked his third conversion and also put over three penalties as the champions lost their discipline as well as their composure and finished a well-beaten side for the second time in a week.

In many ways the match mirrored the Saints contest in that the harder the Bulls tried the more mistakes they seemed to make.

But this time the errors were even more infuriating, such as Michael Withers - in his 100th appearance for the Bulls too - slicing a goal-line drop-out straight into touch in the 73rd minute.

And second-rower Lee Radford carefully placing the ball on the kicking tee and then booting the sphere straight into touch.

Also there was a costly knock-on by Robbie Paul which cost the Bulls a try by Wells early in the second half.

From looking like winning the Minor Premiership only three weeks ago, the Bulls are now facing the possibility that they might even finish third behind Saints and Wigan.