Bulls blitzed by near-perfect Giants

Rugby league purists may get disillusioned when modern-day coaches talk constantly about completion ratios and percentages.

They may argue it dissuades players from trying something daring or adventurous, stunts individuality and creates all-too predictable games.

They may be right - but there is no denying the fact that if you play mistake-free football, you win matches. Just ask the Bulls.

Last night their ruthless opponents demonstrated as near a perfect first half of rugby as you will see all year.

Slick Huddersfield did not make an error in possession until the 31st minute when Ben Harris, Nathan McAvoy and sprightly debutant Richie Hawkyard bundled Chris Nero into touch.

By that point though, his side were already 14-0 up. Five minutes later the relentless Giants had stretched that advantage to 24-0 and the iron-like grip held over them by Bradford for the last 35 years had finally slipped.

It was November 1972 the last time Huddersfield had defeated their derby rivals in a league match - 28 games ago - and 1980 in any competition.

Such domination had bugged them for three long decades but last night the monkey was thrown clear with a brilliant performance.

Huddersfield, who lost all seven of their opening Super League games this season, have now won the last nine successive matches and on this form there is no reason why they can't climb even higher than their new position of fourth.

Bradford weren't that bad. Bizarrely, despite the 24-0 interval deficit, they had defended well in the first half, with Lesley Vainikolo crunching Andy Raleigh, Ian Henderson shuddering Kevin Brown to a halt and the whole line holding together strongly.

Indeed, if Andy Lynch's first-minute effort had been allowed by the video referee, the game could have taken a totally different route.

He had crossed after just 40 seconds when the Bulls caught Huddersfield cold by taking a short kick-off, McAvoy leaping high above the unsuspecting Chris Thorman.

Steve McNamara is a bright coach. His squad was decimated by injuries last night, so much so the seats in the stand looked like a who's who of Super League - Shontayne Hape, Jamie Langley, Paul Deacon, Terry Newton, Matt Cook and Michael Platt just some of his missing men.

He had to bring in the kids, with a trio of 20-year-olds on the bench and part-time plasterer Hawkyard starting at scrum half after just one training session.

McNamara realised the best chance his patched-up side had of winning was to start fast and get an early lead. He forgot those percentages and went for the adventurous.

It worked when they retrieved the ball from Iestyn Harris's opening kick and soon after Lynch barged over but the video referee deemed a double movement.

In real time, it looked like the England prop's momentum had taken him over the line. It did but by the time the replay had been slowed down again and again, the picture was distorted and the Bulls were on the wrong end of another poor video decision.

It was the only warning Huddersfield needed though and they responded in style. Their huge pack soon got pounding away and with Ryan Hudson, sacked by the Bulls after his doping offence three years ago, showing true international class at hooker, the Giants quickly asserted themselves.

Brad Drew was touted as a potential Man of Steel by boss Jon Sharp afterwards and it was easy to see why.

Behind that pack, his kicking game was awesome last night, starting with a huge 40/20 that immediately put the Bulls under pressure.

With the Aussie so accurate and Thorman also putting boot to ball with the backing of a strong wind, Huddersfield were able to pin the tiring visitors back continuously.

Bradford had to start their attacks from off their own line on a regular basis and the home defence, led by the excellent Stephen Wild, was unyielding, while the Giants forced three first-half drop-outs to leave McNamara's men drained.

Mistakes made Bradford's task more difficult though. Three of the four first-half tries they conceded came immediately after they had spilled the ball in positions that simply invited their hosts to strike.

Sam Burgess coughed up an adventurous Joe Vagana pass on halfway and soon after Drew's delicate sliced kick had Lesley Vainikolo in trouble, Wild mopping up for the opener.

David Solomona beat three men before trying to force an off-load to Huddersfield-born Hawkyard, which again went to ground. From there, architect Drew delivered another troublesome grubber which bounced horribly to beat Marcus St Hilaire and hand Jon Skandalis a try.

McAvoy spilled a pass on the first tackle from a scrum to hand Thorman a 60-metre race to the line, the stand-off outstanding in his new role of full back.

In between, Thorman had added a penalty after Iestyn Harris's attempt at a short drop-out blew back and didn't make ten metres, while Stuart Jones scored the best effort of the match after an excellent offload from Eorl Crabtree and fine support play by Robbie Paul and Thorman.

That try was conceded despite the Bulls having finally been able to get in a good kick to force Giants back. But the chase was not up to scratch and their rampant forwards made too many easy yards up the middle to lay the platform for Crabtree's invention on halfway.

It was the first time the Bulls had been nilled at half-time all year and, with the Giants able to bring gnarled forwards like Crabtree, Paul Jackson and Darrell Griffin into the fray, you had to fear for what may come in the second half.

Having seen the Bulls team-sheet, many Giants fans had felt this would be the night where they finally end that hoodoo. At half-time they conceded if they didn't win now they never would.

Bradford struck first after the restart through Vainikolo but the result was never in doubt. Tries from Brown and Thorman's second at the death sealed it, Ben Harris's 80-metre romp giving Bulls some reward.

Dave Halley, one of those 20-year-old rookies, should have had a try himself after hacking almost 70 metres to the line but, just as he was about to dive on the ball, Wild sneaked back to deny him.

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