Bulls fans, yes it is 2001 and not 1997 or even 1996. They could have been forgiven for thinking time had stood still though as the Challenge Cup final took an all-too-familiar pattern for the men from Odsal.

This time it was Sean Long, not Bobbie Goulding, who stuck the boot into them, but that was not the only similarity as the Bulls once again under-performed big style when it mattered most.

With the sides said to be so evenly matched, tactics were always going to be vital.

But sadly the Bulls appeared to have left copies of their game plan at home as they floundered in the Twickenham rain.

Publicly, at least, Brian Noble and his assistant Karl Harrison refused to be too critical, but privately they must be seething at the way their charges scrambled around for a opening, often more in hope than anything else.

Even though they had cut the deficit to only seven points with still over half-an-hour remaining, there was almost an air of inevit-ability about what followed.

A try then might well have given them the kick-start they obviously needed, but it has to be said it rarely looked like coming.

Skipper Robbie Paul did make one dazzling break from near half-way, but Saints full back Paul Wellens anticipated his side-step perfectly and the ball, as it did so many times, squirmed away from a Bulls hand.

Mike Forshaw also went close as the Bulls began very brightly, but once Saints had squeezed ahead, their attacking work was sadly lacking in direction and was laboured in comparison to their opponents.

But a very low-key forward-dominated contest - in stark contrast to the breathtaking spectacle at Valley Parade in March - was ultimately decided by the kicking excellence of Long.

First he provided a try on a plate for half-back partner in crime Tommy Martyn, and then Keiron Cunningham was the beneficiary as Saints took a grip on matters in the first half following a somewhat harsh sin-binning of Shane Rigon for obstructing a Saints runner as they chased another grubber.

There was a slice of good fortune too about the second as Long's kick rebounded off the leg of Daniel Gartner into the hands of the Saints hooker.

But the Bulls seemed incapable of making their own luck in a similar fashion.

The grubber kick was the prefect tactic on the rain-soaked Twick-enham turf, but, with Paul Deacon surprisingly kept on the bench until ten minutes from time, the Bulls just didn't have anyone to match Long's subtlety.

It didn't exactly come as a surprise though as the biggest complaint in the Valley Parade stands so far this season has been the side's wayward kicking game.

There'll be those now who will demand the introduction of Deacon into the starting line-up, and it's hard to argue against that view.

Not that the Paul brothers didn't do their damnedest to provide the inspiration the side so clearly needed.

But with the Saints defence being allowed so much scope by referee Russell Smith they were cramped for space, and as a result the awesome foursome and co were made to look human for a change.

It meant they never got the sort of forward momentum on which they rely so heavily, and the frustration was there for all to see.

Robbie Paul admitted: "Once St Helens got a sniff of the win, they really went for it.

"If it had been a normal league game it might have been different because we expect to make breaks in every match.

"But they defended well and we got frustrated and pushed passes and slipped balls when they weren't on. In 1996, we were taught a lesson by Bobbie Goulding, who beat us with high kicks. This year it is the ball going into the in-goal area."

Paul insisted the transition from the Bulls' narrow playing area at Valley Parade and the huge expanse at Twickenham, with its massive in-goal areas, had not proved decisive.

He also defended their decision not to test out Saints winger Anthony Sullivan, who had had a nightmare under the high ball against Warrington only eight days earlier.

He insisted: "We are a running team and if we see opportunities we go for them."

Noble paid tribute to Saints' victory and admitted the better side had won.

"We handled their world-class stars well and none of their players ripped us apart," he said. "But in the end it came down to kicking, and Sean Long put it on the button.

"Maybe there was some big-game anxiety in our play and a few crucial decisions went against us, but that wasn't the reason we lost. You have to give credit to St Helens - they defended superbly."

He was right to credit Saints, who have developed into a finely-tuned big-game machine who must now be firm favourites to make it three Grand Final victories on the trot at Old Trafford in October.

But that will be of little comfort to Bulls fans, who were put through the mincer again on the big occasion.

They've been criticised for not getting behind the side this season, but it's little wonder they were subdued for long spells in this instance. It was the first time the Bulls had failed to score a try since a 14-0 Super League defeat at Wigan in 1999, and the timing couldn't have been worse.

For new coach Noble it was obviously a bitter disappointment too, and he faces some key decisions in the weeks and months ahead if the club are not to come out of another highly promising season empty-handed.

The first will be to hand Aussie giant Graham Mackay the chance to provide more thrust in the three-quarters.

The roles of Michael Withers, who looks a natural full back, and Leon Pryce, who everyone knows isn't a winger, will be other topics for debate, along with the best way to utilise the kicking and organisational skills of Deacon.

Avoiding Saints in a final might be another good move!