Chairman Peter Hood today insisted the Bulls had no qualms with their Super League opener being postponed – and revealed Harlequins’ protective covers had become “cemented” to the frozen Twickenham Stoop pitch.

Yesterday’s fixture became a victim of the big chill on Saturday morning after an inspection of the playing surface and Hood said: “There was no possibility of our match being played.

“The ground at the Stoop had been covered by protective covers but when they tried to remove them they were cemented themselves to the actual playing surface.

“That meant they were pulling the pitch up as well when they tried lifting it.

“And it wasn’t Harlequins who decided to call it off. The match commissioner was present and he said it was unplayable.”

The decision was relayed back to Bradford just before Steve McNamara and his squad were due to depart for an overnight stop in the capital, saving them a large amount of travelling costs.

Hood said: “The boys turned up for the bus at Odsal and simultaneously heard that the game was off.

“Instead, they headed to Rawdon and got cracking there, going straight into a training session to start preparing for Hull KR on Sunday.

“The costs would have been a substantial sum, probably up to £5,000.

“Also, with the police saying don’t travel unless you really have to, it would have been a bit weird if we had been doing just that. It was the right decision.”

No date has been discussed yet for the Quins fixture to be rescheduled, with no obvious free weekend between now and the end of the regular Super League campaign in September.

Unless both sides exit the Carnegie Challenge Cup, it will be difficult to organise.

Hood said: “I’d like to think we will not have any spare weekends – let’s hope we don’t! – and consequently the likelihood is it will be a midweek match sometime later in the season.

“It will all be down to the two head coaches themselves sorting a date on which to accommodate the game as the season gets underway.”

Bradford do have one vacant slot – February 20/21/22 – which, ironically, was when they were supposed to originally visit Quins in round three.

But their hosts are instead tackling Manly Sea Eagles in a friendly that weekend, the original reason Saturday’s fixture had been brought forward.

The Londoners are giving the Australian champions some preparation before they face Leeds Rhinos in the World Club Challenge on March 1 and Hood cannot see that being cancelled.

“We’ll talk to Red Hall and see what comments they have got on the situation,” he said.

“If that Manly friendly wasn’t going ahead, maybe something could be sorted, but as far as I know I’m sure it still will.

“Just because this game has been called off because of the weather, it doesn’t change the rationale for setting up that Manly game in the first place.”

The main positive of now having to play Quins later is that the Bulls should have player of the year Andy Lynch back in their side after his injury. He is due to return from neck surgery in a few weeks.