LONDON 8 BULLS 33

THE familiar chant greeted John Kear an hour before kick-off.

“He’s got no hair, but we don’t care” boomed the early arrivals as the Bulls coach obligingly lifted his bobbling hat to expose his crowning glory to the London rain.

The fans were finally back – and Kear was relishing the occasion as much as any of them.

The Trailfinders sports ground in Ealing hardly ranks as one of rugby league’s premier venues. But none of those who trekked down the M1 yesterday cared a jot – they finally had their fix of live sport again.

It had been 436 days since the Bulls had last stepped out in front of a crowd consisting of more than just spare players, club staff and officials.

And what a treat served up for the supporters on their return.

The Bulls made it five wins on the bounce with the most emphatic yet – picking apart a team that Kear had targeted as genuine play-off rivals.

Three tries in the first half – two scored by academy products, ahem – and a double from debutant Ellis Robson made sure the occasion lived up to the hype for the rugby-starved followers.

London’s recent form had been as good as the Bulls – and the home side began in positive fashion.

Matty Fozard’s well-judged 40-20 gained possession deep inside the Bulls half.

James Meadows darted through the white shirts to get within five metres of the line and London’s pressure was finished off by Rhys Curran – although there was a suggestion that the ball was not grounded.

The Bulls responded strongly to falling behind. Ben Evans ate up metres with a surging run and Danny Brough’s grubber forced a goalline drop-out.

It set up Jordan Lilley to send in Aaron Murphy for his first Bulls try - with Brough’s kick quickly levelling matters.

It was shaping into an even contest between two confident sides. But the Bulls gave up a needless penalty when Brough kicked out on the full from their first drop-out, Chris Hankinson accepting the two-point gift.

That, though, would be the last time the hosts would lead - or even score.

Cory Aston’s break threatened his old club before Joe Brown wrapped up Ed Chamberlain – but then Brough made amends for his rare lapse with a precise 20-40 to put the Bulls back on the front foot.

Thomas Doyle took advantage to burrow his way in from dummy half – and three minutes later the noisy travelling army were celebrating again as the Bulls went back-to-back with another try.

The blistering move began in their own half with Brough and Ross Oakes combining before Joe Brown released the afterburners on the left wing. Brandon Pickersgill stayed with him stride for stride and took the pass for a simple score behind the posts.

London looked for a response as Ebon Scurr was bundled into touch in his own half. But the youngster summed up the Bulls’ determination to let nothing pass with a big hit to stop the hosts being able to take advantage.

Broncos full back Chamberlain had been struggling after a knock and Brough was intelligently targeting him with his kicking.

The Bulls could have extended their lead approaching the break after forcing successive penalties. They changed their minds against going for two and Pickersgill’s forward pass killed that opportunity before Brough slotted a one-pointer before the hooter.

London had lost both Chamberlain and former Bulls loanee Tuoyo Egodo to injuries but only desperate defence prevented Jordan Williams narrowing the deficit.

The Bulls forced another drop-out but Robson fumbled the ball with the line in sight.

But London’s frustration was surfacing and their indiscipline grew, Brough taking advantage of another penalty to make it a 13-point gap.

The volume behind those posts continued to grow as the travelling fans lapped up their day out.

Brough, though, was feeling some discomfort in his groin after his last kick and left the stage just before the midway point in the second half. 

That meant a reshuffle with teenager Joe Burton, fresh from signing his new contract, coming on at left wing, Brown switching to full back and Pickersgill slotting into the halves.

London’s afternoon, though, was going downhill fast and French international Romain Navarrete added to their woes when he was sin-binned for successive offences.

The Bulls cashed straight in on the extra man as Doyle’s short pass sent in new boy Robson for the first try scored directly in front of their own fans. Not surprisingly, the decibels cranked straight up.

It briefly became 11 v 12 as Dan Fleming and Greg Richards followed for 10 minutes after tempers boiled over.

But the fun wasn’t done for the Bulls as Robson went in for his second try to put the seal on an emphatic result.

Even with Pickersgill's late yellow for a high shot, London still could not find a way through the impenetrable defence. It was a performance to remember for those lucky Bulls fans.

LONDON: Chamberlain; Egodo, Lovell, Hankinson, Miski; Aston, Meadows; Navarrete, Fozard, Richards, Curran, Walters, Hindmarsh-Takyi. Interchange: Jones, Williams, Davis, Gwaze.

BULLS: Pickersgill; Brown, R Evans, Oakes, Vulkijapani; Brough, Lilley; Fleming, Doyle, Crossley, England, Murphy, B Evans. Interchange: Scurr, Burton, Robson, Walker

BULLS MAN OF MATCH: Brandon Pickersgill.