Lowes hits the heights

His team-mates had either gone to the bar or off to Robbie Paul's Turnstile pub to hear Shontayne Hape DJ.

But the veteran hooker, Evian in hand, was still trying to drink himself ready for a post-match random drug test.

This was Lowes' first of this season, but no one would have been surprised that the 33-year-old should be selected to be tested after this performance.

In front of a bumper 15,557 fans, the Bulls favourite scored a superb hat-trick and created many more during an amazing display of control, athleticism and creative rugby.

Clearly relishing his final year as a player in this great sport, Lowes thrilled the crowd with his 16-point display and left the field to chants of his name ringing around the Bradford bowl.

Lowes' first hat-trick at Odsal was among 11 tries in a superb show of strength from the Bulls, who were more than happy to flex their muscles against their hard-working but ineffective West Yorkshire neighbours.

Once again it was a different Bulls side that lined up, with six changes from last week's Challenge Cup win and a third different full back in place.

Clearly the excitement of Australia winning the World Cup was too much for Mick Withers' partner Hannah, and he dropped out of the contest two hours before the game as she went in labour.

Robbie Paul, all but recovered from his neck injury, stepped up to fill the position in which he had excelled for New Zealand in the recent Test series.

Leon Pryce remained at stand-off while Karl Pratt took over from the injured Tevita Vaikona on the wing, one of four first-team regulars out.

Lowes returned to the hooking role with Joe Vagana and Paul Anderson back from hamstring and flu problems respectively.

And once again it was an error-strewn opening from the Bulls with Halifax taking the lead.

Hape tried a little too hard with some over-ambitious off-loads to Lesley Vainikolo while Lowes was penalised for a push on Paul Davidson at the play the ball.

From that set of six Martin Moana trampled over Lee Radford, in for the flu-ridden Danny Gartner in the second row, and it was advantage Tony Anderson's men.

Lowes dived over from dummy half to make instant amends and collect his 600th career point, but it was still not the best of Bulls openings.

Paul and Mike Forshaw then both knocked on clumsily within ten metres of the Halifax line as the Bulls continued to waste opportunities.

Things might have looked up when Pratt dashed 60 metres and Hape chased down a Paul Deacon kick for a drop-out, but even this was wasted as Vainikolo and Radford sloppily combined to let the ball bounce out of play giving the scrum to the visitors.

Then after 17 minutes Lowes pushed forward, Pryce sent in Paul from close range to shake off Lee Finnerty and dive over to give the Bulls the lead they would never relinquish.

Six minutes later and Lowes again scrambled home from close range as the Bulls began to move up through the gears.

As if to prove a point, the rampaging props dumped Andy Hobson to the ground as he threatened their line and the Bulls began to turn the screw on their opponents.

Moana then rather helpfully kicked straight into the arms of a grateful Pryce, who loped 80 metres down the right wing to continue his remarkable record of scoring in every game this season.

It was all Bulls at this stage, with a noisy Odsal cheering every yard gained up the middle by the big men and every barn-storming run by the Volcano, who was once again confounding his critics with devastating power breaks up the centre and down the wings.

Ryan Clayton went in at the corner after another defensive lapse but this was nothing more than a consolation and Dane Dorahy must have sensed it while he was booed into fluffing his conversion.

At 24-10 at the interval, there was to be no repeat of the worry that had dogged the Odsal Homecoming against Wakefield two weeks ago.

As if to prove the point, just two minutes into the half, Hape went over in the corner after the giant figure of the advancing Volcano had scared Danny Helliwell into dropping a Deacon bomb.

Lowes then showed his versatility by taking the ball on, drawing two men and then off-loading to Deacon to burst home from 40 yards.

Arguably the try of the game was to arrive in the 54th minute.

Dorahy went for the kick on the last tackle and it landed in the hands of the Volcano at the back of his in-goal area.

He circumvented two attackers before crossing the line and heading another 80 metres upfield before being caught.

Two tackles later and the ball was on the right wing where Pryce sent out the perfect ball for Pratt to charge over. His continued resurgence was marked by a triumphant tossing of the ball into the crowd and a hoisting by Pryce into the air.

Halifax, having already lost the game, now began to lose their discipline. A Moana spear tackle on Radford was penalised, a Davidson punch on Fielden wasn't and before you knew it, Paul was over again.

Referee Karl Kirkpatrick had seen enough and Davidson quickly went for interfering with Vagana at the play the ball.

Amazingly, 12-man Halifax then went over twice with Greenwood and Dorahy in quick succession finding space that will make Brian Noble furious.

But with their opponents back to a full complement, the Bulls finished off with three in six minutes.

Paul sent over Stuart Reardon for his first ever Bulls try, Lowes completed a hat-trick by chipping over the penultimate man and taking advantage of a Daryl Cardiss slip to get over in the corner while Paul also got his third.

In a classic end-to-end move, Pryce took it on and handed it to Pratt to burst down the line. Running out of space, the former Leeds man hoisted a kick down the middle which sat up nicely for his skipper to collect and dive over under the posts.

But the night belonged to Lowes, whose cup floweth over on the field, if not off it.