Bradford Bulls 6 Saints 38 – Sunday 14th February 2010
There’s always a spring in one’s step when on route to the first ‘away’ match of the season and I was really looking forward to this one. I had been a little disappointed in Saints’ opening performance, in the defeat at home to Hull, and having lost their opener, I was really apprehensive about Saints’ next two matches at Bradford and Les Catalans. Let’s face we’ve been to both venues when we’ve been on top of our game in recent years and been turned over!
There had been some rather unfair criticism aimed at the team and Head Coach, Mick Potter during the week and I sincerely hope we can win today to silence the doubters. Let’s face it and to put things into perspective. Good teams don’t become bad ones over night and the team that faced Hull was only missing Francis Meli, Sean Long and Lee Gilmour from the side that were only 8 minutes, and a wretched Video Ref call, away from being crowned as ‘Champions in 2009.
The weather was fair (and that’s always a good shout prior to a match at Odsal) and Odsal Stadium is actually my favourite ‘away’ venue. I don’t know why this is the case but one thing that isn’t in doubt is the fact that there is no other ground in any sport, anywhere in the world, that is anything like Odsal Stadium. It is most certainly unique. I have just wished at times that it had a ‘bloody’ roof!
Odsal Stadium
I was travelling to this match on my own. I don’t have a problem with this as I know that I will always bump into some friends at the match to stand with. I am Bill Bates, after all, alias the ‘Legendary Supporter’ and by even my vast experience, this afternoon I was destined to be spoiled for choice of company. I travelled on the one Supporters’ Coach that travelled from the club. I was a tad disappointed that they couldn’t even fill this.
A 12.30pm departure from Knowsley Road was good and the journey was almost perfect. I chatted to a few familiar faces on the Coach (although I must admit all of their names either have escaped me or were never known to me in the first place). No one was over confident but it’s fair to say we were all hopeful of a win. I for one was really excited at seeing young Kyle Eastmond up against Bradford’s ‘marquee’ signing Matt Orford.
Upon our arrival there was confusion as where to catch the Coach back home as a Bradford Steward first told the Supporters’ Steward that they could park the Coach in one of Odsal’s Car Parks only to retract the statement and direct the Coach driver to the usual pick up point on the Halifax road over the large roundabout, but only after over 75% of the passenger has disembarked and entered the Stadium.
The first mate of mine I bumped into was Brian Middlehurst. He, like me, is a Haydock lad and someone I’ve known since I was at school as we both collected Programmes. Brian is a sound guy who knows his rugby and very pleasant to talk to. Whilst I was reading my programme I then met Chris Highcock, alias ‘Mutley’, and his family. Chris and I are good mates and it was great to see him and ‘talk’ rugby. He had driven over. The next guy I spoke to was Stu McGuire, alias ‘Reacher’. Stu and I are also friends and he too lived near me in Haydock. We have always kept in touch and he, like me, is also a ‘Red Vee’ Moderator. Stood behind Stu were Paul Devanney, alias ‘Div’, and his wife Julie. ‘Div’ was one of my longest standing Saints’ supporting friends. He, like Stu and me is also a ‘Red Vee’ Mod and we had a good old fashioned chin wag. I moved back to stand with Chris and as the match began we were joined by, retired Estate Agent, and quiz king, Mark Kerr. Could thing get any better?
As the teams were announced there was a huge shock in the Saints’ line up. Scott Moore was starting at hooker and Keiron Cunningham, due to make his 500th career appearance today, wasn’t even named on the bench. Later, on the way home, I was informed that Keiron’s absence was due to the fact that his mother had sadly passed away the previous evening. This news was terrible, and my heart goes out to Keiron and his family at this time and he is currently foremost in my thoughts and prayers!
Anyway, the teams lined up as follows:
Bradford Bulls:
1. David Halley, 2. Rikki Sheriffe, 3. Paul Sykes, 4. Chris Nero, 5. Stuart Rearden, 6. Brett Kearney, 7. Matt Orford, 8. Nick Scruton, 9. Heath L’Estrange, 10. Andy Lynch, 13. Jamie Langley, 20. Elliot Whitehead, 11. Steve Menzies
Subs, 12. Glenn Hall, 14. Wayne Godwin, 16. Michael Worrincy, 18. Craig Kopczak
St. Helens:
1. Paul Wellens, 24. Jonny Lomax, 3. Matt Gidley, 21. Gary Wheeler, 5. Francis Meli, 6. Leon Pryce, 7. Kyle Eastmond, 8. Nick Fozzard, 16. Scott Moore, 10. James Graham, 13. Chris Flannery, 12. Jon Wilkin, 11. Tony Puletua
Subs, 14. James Roby, 15. Bryn Hargreaves, 23. Maurie Fa’asavalu, 17. Paul Clough
Referee: Phil Bentham
Saints began the game well. In their first set of six there was a noticeable emphasis on keeping the ball alive. This is the Saints’ traditional rugby style that we have all grown to love. A slight over lap saw Jon Wilkin fling the ball out wide and unfortunately his pass was a little too high for Jonny Lomax, on the right wing, to gather and the ball ended in touch. Just a few minutes later Chris Nero was held up just short of the Saints’ line and a loose ball saw Francis Meli gather and link with Gary Wheeler on a speedy counter attack. The Bulls’ scrambling defence covered well though and Wheeler was tackled on the half way line.
Jamie Langley threatened the St. Helens line. He was magnificently tackled by Wello. Leon Pryce was having a cracker. His distribution and link play with Kyle Eastmond was a key part of Saints’ early dominance. Fine work by Tony Puletua kept the ball alive and he superbly fed the supporting Pryce as Saints’ attacked straight down the middle. Prycey offloaded to Wello who handed it on the Jon Wilkin and Saints were in by the sticks to open their account with a lovely try. Eastmond converted and Saints were six points to the good.
St. Helens’ offence was crisp and fresh and Bradford were penned back. The visitors, very much in the ascendancy, attacked at will. Eastmond added a penalty goal before Saints’ scored a try of breath taking quality. Jonny Lomax started the proceedings with a magnificent diffusion of a towering Bulls’ bomb. The ball was worked out to the left wing where Meli made a 50 metre break. He had his ankles tapped and from a very fast resultant play the ball, Pryce continued Saints’ fine work by taking the ball through the Bradford defensive line and offloading to the supporting Wellens who scored the try behind the posts.
Pryce soon combined with Wello again and he collected his second try as Saints continued to dominate. At 20 points to nil, St. Helens had broken the 16 point barrier for the first time since last July and all within the first half hour of the match! Eastmond and Clough came close to extending Saints’ advantage before the interval. Lomax forced evasive action from Halley that led to a Bull’s drop out and Roby’s grubber kick had just a little too much on it for Puletua to dive on, in the Bulls in goal area. At the break Saints remained 20 points to the good. They had been brilliant and their supporters cheered heartily as the sides left the arena.
Prycey was having a magnificent match. James Roby had the Bulls’ defence chasing shadows, Wello’s support play had been awesome, Jon Wilkin was back to his best and forwards, Fozz, Jammer and Bryn had completely dominated. During the interval I had left Chris Highcock and Mark Kerr, had another chat to Stu and made my way to stand with Alex Service with whom I watched the second half.
Bradford began the 2nd period well. Two last ditch Saints’ tackles preserved their line and just 8 minutes into the half a Bulls overlap spelled danger. Matt Orford launched a speculative long pass and in a flash Kyle Eastmond intercepted and raced 80 metres score Saints’ fourth try. His conversion maintained his 100% record. Bradford again put Saints under pressure. They were a much improved outfit in the second period and they had a good quarter of an hour’s pressure. Saints’ scrambling defence held out with Wello simply outstanding.
On sixty five minutes Saints’ counter attacked. From deep in their own 20 metre area the ball was kept alive. It was worked up field before Robes and Scott Moore linked well. The focus of this mesmerising move worked right and involved Lomax who turned the ball back inside to Wello to complete his hat trick of tries. This was already a contender for ‘try of the season’. The speed of the counter attack had been simply awesome. Wello added a fourth try a few moments later to equal his best total ever in a match and Eastmond’s sixth and seventh goals put Saints 38 nil up.
Time was nearly up and with less than 30 seconds remaining Bradford scored a consolation try. Matt Orford spotted a slight gap in the Saints’ defence and he scored. Orford’s conversion meant the final score was Bradford 6 Saints 38. What a difference a week makes! Saints were very good, Bradford were slightly off colour. The St. Helens’ supporters were jubilant, some of those Bulls’ fans who were still around at the end booed their team from the field. The attendance was 10,165.
Leon Pryce had been simply magnificent. On any other day his performance would have earned him the man of the match, but today Wello was even better. His display of support play had been ‘World Class’. The interchanging of Scott Moore and James Roby had also gone well and Saints outside backs also looked dangerous every time they had the ball. Saints’ forwards this week had been every bit as good as Hull’s had done last Saturday and this bodes well for the remainder of the season. St. Helens were off the mark and in a very pleasing way. The confidence that a performance and result such as this generates can also only be for the good. Well done Saints!
The rest of the day, and the journey home was uneventful except to say that Wakefield Trinity Wildcat’s defeat of Leeds Rhinos was also a welcome result amongst the Saints’ supporters. This game had kicked off half an hour after Bulls v Saints’ game so it was even more pleasing to be able to listen to the closing stages of this match over the radio on the Supporters’ Coach. The final score had been Wakefield 28 Leeds 18. Trinity had now won three from three and were top of the league. They are having a week off next weekend as their game at Harlequins had been brought forward so the London based outfit could be Melbourne Storms opponents in a warm up match ahead of their World Club Challenge clash with Leeds in 3 weeks, and their next game is at Knowsley Road v St. Helens in a fortnight. The Rhinos’ defeat had been their second successive reversal, having lost at home to Castleford last weekend.
