Robbie Paul admitted today: "That was our worst game of the season and we let ourselves down".

The Bulls skipper (pictured) was brutally honest in his assessment of his side's performance after the shock 22-12 defeat at the hands of the Broncos at Odsal on Sunday.

And the Bulls skipper also said the heat played a factor as his side tired while chasing the game on one of the hottest days of the year after an error-strewn first period.

"The team did not play well out there," said Paul, who was one of just a handful of Bulls who performed anywhere near their normal high standards.

"It only takes one person not to be mentally focused and it drags down those around him.

"Some people were not on their game, which means the team was not on their game.

"We are a championship-winning side and we didn't play like one out there - that was our worst team display of the season."

Paul, whose side made 18 errors in the game, admitted the heat didn't help.

"One thing we learnt out there is that we need to be better prepared for summer rugby," continued the Kiwi.

"We gave away the ball too much in the first half and spent much too long trying to get it back.

"It was hard work playing rugby like that out there and in the second-half we didn't have enough energy left to get back into the game."

But Paul believes there are some positives that can be taken out of the defeat.

"This won't kill us," said Paul. "We are a team that learns from adversity and I think we will come back stronger from this."