Lesley Vainikolo exploded for a Super League record six tries last night as the Bulls crushed the newly-crowned Powergen Challenge Cup champions at Odsal.

Hull received a standing ovation as they took to the pitch but the generosity of Bulls fans delighted by the Rhinos' demise last week didn't extend to the pitch.

It took just 28 seconds for Vainikolo to get the ball rolling as Hull boss John Kear's worst fears were realised.

Kear had anticipated his side would struggle to front up after their epic Cardiff display and they weren't helped by Paul Deacon's kick-off ricocheting off the crossbar straight into the hands of the marauding Stuart Fielden.

The Great Britain prop was dragged down just short of scoring what would surely have been the quickest try ever in Super League.

However, the Bulls pushed straight back up field and the ball went wide for the unmarked Vainikolo to open his account.

With just one point separating the third-placed Bulls and Hull, Kear had tried to rally his troops by billing last night's contest as a one-off match for third place, with the prize being home advantage for the early rounds of the play-offs.

But Hull were simply unable to live with a well-rested Bulls side, who ran in ten tries to a solitary reply from Gareth Raynor.

Only the curiously erratic boot of Paul Deacon, who managed just four conversions from ten attempts, stopped the scoreline from blowing out to embarrassing proportions.

The emphatic win took the Bulls' winning streak to six and they look to be hitting peak form at just the right time.

Only Chris Chester's desperate intervention prevented the Bulls from doubling their lead inside five minutes when Paul Johnson latched on to Deacon's grubber and sent a pass in the direction of Iestyn Harris. But it was a brief reprieve for Hull, with Vainikolo winning the race to Ian Henderson's grubber following the goal-line drop out.

The Bulls could have killed the game off inside the first 20 minutes but a host of chances went begging before Raynor pounced to get Hull back in it. Paul King's offload on half way sent Raynor clear and, although he was felled neatly by Mick Withers, the winger went over in the corner two tackles later.

Danny Brough's sideline conversion cut the deficit to four but, two minutes from half time, Vainikolo cut in off his wing and bobbled an inside pass from Shontayne Hape before twisting his way over for his hat-trick. Deacon's sideline conversion restored the Bulls' ten point lead and the scrum half tacked on another point with a 40-metre drop goal on the hooter.

Hull came out firing after the break but had nothing to show for a ten-minute spell of sustained pressure and, when Hape sent Vainikolo tearing down the touchline and backed up to score himself, the Bulls had landed the killer blow.

Fielden barrelled over from close range two minutes later and then, with 17 minutes remaining, Vainikolo cruised over in the corner for his fourth courtesy of a fine wide pass from Iestyn Harris and a quick exchange from Brad Meyers.

Hape was again the provider for Vainikolo's fifth just two minutes later before the Hull defence disappeared completely, allowing Joe Vagana to stride over untouched to score his first try of the season amid joyous celebrations.

Jamie Peacock was next to get on the scoresheet with a typical close-range effort.

There wasn't much time left for Vainikolo to go in search of his record-breaker - but he didn't need much, once again taking a pass from Hape before racing 80 metres to lift the roof off the stadium.

It was a magic moment, however Kear certainly wasn't cheering.

"That was the result we all feared," he said.

"The scoreline reflected our performance. Championship-winning teams don't win a trophy one week and then put in a performance like that the next."