Bradford Bulls 32, London Broncos 12

The Bulls got whatever the Murrayfield equivalent is of the "Wembley wobbles" but their defensive strength meant they were rarely in any serious danger.

After an 18-point burst in the opening quarter it was inevitable some minds would start to drift and the whole spectacle became pretty turgid after that.

But after hitting the heights in the three previous games since the semi-final the fans may just excuse them on this occasion!

The Paul brothers have been in such sparkling and dominant mood that their absence on the other side of the world was always going to be a telling one and the side seldom moved with any real fluency.

Paul Deacon manoeuvred the ball well at times but his new partnership with Leon Pryce never clicked into gear and the result was far too much one-man stuff.

Pryce looks a shadow of his former self right now and his selection for the final is certainly not a formality especially with Justin Brooker having some good moments on the left wing.

But Scott Naylor can certainly prepare for the big day after effectively settling the issue with two first half tries.

Jimmy Lowes had given them a fifth minute lead with his charge from close range but Naylor's finishing strength stole the honours.

Jamie Peacock set up the first with a strong charge and neat pass and with little room to work in Naylor went for the direct option straight through the tackle of Greg Fleming.

And two minutes from the break he was there again to finish off the move of the night.

Brooker launched the raid with a tremendous burst out of his own 22 and fed Mike Withers superbly and, although he couldn't provide the finishing touch, swift passing to the opposite flank saw Naylor win another arm wrestle this time with the giant Dom Peters.

A nice Lowes/Deacon link had paved the way for Stuart Spruce's 50th try for the club and the Broncos' only response was an Andrew Wynyard effort close to the half-hour.

The Bulls were well worth their 24-6 interval advantage but their game was lacking its usual intensity and it culminated in an error-ridden second half show.

A more potent side than London might well have taken advantage especially after Paul Davidson eventually held a pass to power through near the posts.

Another try at that stage might have made things pretty interesting but spurred on by another tireless stint from Brian McDer-mott they summoned up the defensive steel needed to keep them at bay.

Their own lack of the usual confidence shone through when Deacon gratefully accepted a penalty chance to edge them further ahead before a strong last ten minutes gradually wore the Broncos down again.

Lowes sent Spruce over only to have it recalled for a marginal forward pass ruling but when he fed Paul Anderson from close range on an angled run their was no stopping the barnstorming prop.

But it was one of those nights when coaching staff, players and fans alike just glad to hear the final hooter

""It would be naive to say that the Murrayfield factor didn't play a part but I thought that we were fairly well focused for the first 20 minutes and rather than say that our players were distracted I think I should give credit to London who really tested us physically," commented Elliott.

Converted for the new archive on 30 June 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.