Bradford Bulls 52

Warrington Wolves 16

THE honeymoon period of Warrington's new era is well and truly over after this disastrous Challenge Cup quarter-finals performance at Odsal Stadium on Sunday.

Warrington's impressive three-match unbeaten start to the 1999 campaign was defused by 80 minutes of explosive Bull power - and frustrated Wolves fans showed their anger by leaving the ground up to 20 minutes before the final whistle.

Warrington had only conceded three tries in their first three games but their whitewash was crossed 10 times as their defence was cut to ribbons by a red hot Bradford Bulls side inspired by their New Zealand brothers Henry and Robbie Paul.

The Wolves committed suicide. They too easily coughed up their rare scraps of possession, put themselves under pressure and missed one-on-one tackles regularly.

Bradford's players said 'Thank you very much' and turned on a display of exhibition rugby on a rollercoaster ride which Warrington had no way of stopping.

Even Warrington's regular high performers like skipper Danny Farrar, stand off Scott Wilson, prop Danny Nutley and centre Alan Hunte missed tackles in what was a Warrington horror show.

It is little consolation that Warrington caught Bradford on one of their best days. Pundits believe the Bulls are back to their Championship best form of 1996 and 1997 - and in '96 Bradford destroyed champions-elect St. Helens 50-22 at Odsal!

Few teams would have been able to have lived with the Bulls on Sunday but that does not make it any easier to accept such a whopping defeat as the Wolves players did not do themselves justice.

Now the players have a lot of making up to do with the army of supporters who travelled over the Pennines with high hopes.

The game was won with three tries in 15 minutes midway through the first half. The first of the three tries was scored and then Warrington did not touch the ball again in this spell other than to re-start. It took Bradford to a 22-0 lead with 22 minutes gone and the game was over.

But everything Bradford did continued to go right for them while Warrington's frustrated players were having nightmares. Missed tackles, knock-ons straight from scrums and re-starts and struggling to keep up with the pace due to all the energy-sapping tackling they had to do.

The first points came from the boot of stand off Henry Paul after three minutes for an adjudged hgigh tackle by Wilson.

Then Hunte was penalised for holding down and from a rapid Stuart Spruce play-the-ball former Canberra Raiders back rower David Boyle dummied past Lee Briers and caught Nutley and Steve McCurrie unawares to cross for the first try.

Three tries in five minutes followed from back rower Mike Forshaw, after winger Tevita Vaikona had shoved off Hunte; Scott Naylor, who barged through full back Lee Penny's tackle over the line and then Robbie Paul, who evaded Jon Roper's tackle to scoot 80 yards and score after combining with his winger Michael Withers.

Wolves coach Darryl Van de Velde attempted to stem the tide by replacing forwards McCurrie and Roper with Ian Knott and Dean Busby.

Henry Paul worked a run around move with centre Naylor to create an overlap for Vaikona to cross over for a 28-0 half-time lead and they combined again five minutes into the second half for Vaikona's second.

Wilson slipped off Robbie Paul who off-loaded for centre Danny Peacock to charge 80 yards and put Withers over. Henry Paul added the extras.

Typical

Up until this point Warrington had not threatened the Bradford line once.

Then Farrar found Knott in space. He put Toa Kohe-Love in the clear and as the cover came across he flipped a pass inside for Wilson to stroll over in the 52nd minute. Briers goaled to make it 38-6.

Typical of Warrington's day, Gary Chambers knocked on from the re-start with his first touch after coming on as a substitute. Seconds later Spruce burrowed over from acting half-back.

Bradford substitute centre Nick Zisti sprinted 80 yards clear from the resultant scrum. Winger Jason Roach did well to get back and catch him but from the play-the-ball Vaikona claimed his hat-trick.

Vaikona stepped out of a Farrar tackle to speed in for his fourth and Bradford's last try in the 67th minute.

New Zealander Kohe-Love, probably Warrington's best performer, caught a deflected Henry Paul kick on his own 20 yard line and sprinted away to score a spectacular solo try after turning full back Spruce inside and out.

In injury time Hunte escaped the Bradford markers out wide so that he could send Mark Forster in from the half way line. It was the last of three well-executed Warrington tries but it was not enough.

Converted for the new archive on 13 March 2001. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.