Golden boot Henry Paul was the toast of the rugby league world today after kicking himself into the record books.

The Kiwi ace gave another master class to land eight goals from eight attempts in the 56-24 rout of Warrington Wolves last night and take his tally to an incredible 35 successful shots in succession.

It beat the previous record in first class rugby league of 30 by fellow countryman Darryl Halligan for Canterbury Bulldogs during the 1998 Australian season.

Paul's fourth goal just before the break took him past Halligan's tally and he landed four more, including one from the touchline, after returning in the final 15 minutes following a heavy knock.

His stunning achievement comes as the Bulls prepare to sit down and negotiate a new deal with the classy stand-off whose initial three-year deal with the club runs out at the end of the season.

"He deserves special praise for his world record. How good was that?" purred Noble who plans further talks with Paul next week.

Paul is also a target for the Rugby Football Union who would like him to bolster England's bid for World Cup glory in 2003.

National Rugby League clubs in Australia are also watching the situation closely including Canberra Raiders who will be coached by former Bulls boss Matthew Elliott next season.

Meanwhile Noble was delighted with the response of his players after their defeat in the Challenge Cup final against St Helens at the weekend.

"The players took a lot of lambasting on Saturday and, after the emotional despair of the last four days, it was all about pride tonight," said Noble. "They responded in the only way they can and that was to play good rugby. The opposition did their best to distract us but we scored some fantastic tries.

"It shows the character of the team. They are a great bunch of guys."

Noble also heaped praise on Mike Forshaw who continued his impressive for. "He has been our best player all season and I was pleased he got the man of the match award," he said.

"There were some good performances out there including Lee Radford who really stuck in and showed his quality by setting up the final try. Graham Mackay went really well too in his first game. He looks a useful players doesn't he?"

But a place back at the top of Super League came at a price with injuries to Scott Naylor and Daniel Gartner.

Scrum half Paul Deacon was also recovering after needing several stitches in a facial gash.