London Broncos 20 Bradford Bulls 46

The second coldest March for 51 years has given way to an April that is also cooler than the norm.

But, with the sun on their backs and temperatures threatening to reach double figures, Bradford Bulls were inspired by a sizzling Jarrod Sammut at Adams Park on Saturday.

After a first half in which scrum half Craig Gower largely ran the show and left winger Kieran Dixon added to his burgeoning reputation with a hat-trick of tries, London, who led 20-12 at the interval, were simply blown away in the second half.

Sammut, showing speed, balance and athleticism, struck with four tries as he guided the Bulls to a 34-0 shutout after the break as the Bulls climbed to a temporary third place in the Super League table behind Wigan Warriors and Huddersfield Giants.

The four tries for scrum half Sammut came in an astonishing 18 minutes as he racked up 24 of his 30-point haul.

All this meant a sixth home game without a win for the Broncos, and a downcast head coach Tony Rea afterwards.

He was left not only realising that the visitors had won the physical battle but also questioned the attitude of some of his players.

The Broncos brought back Dan Sarginson, Chris Bailey, Shane Rodney, Mark Bryant, Gower and Tommy Lee into the fold – all having sat out Monday’s defeat at Warrington – but Rea confessed afterwards that only one of them was rested for the second half of the Easter double-header.

For the Bulls, former London star Luke Gale took his place among the replacements for his first appearance of the campaign after an ankle injury.

With the pitch looking in excellent condition, despite London Wasps having played there the night before in the Amlin Challenge Cup, the visitors made the brighter start, Sammut being held up as he looked to twist his way over the line.

Full back Brett Kearney was equally dangerous with ball in hand, and only Broncos centre Michael Channing denied him an early try in the corner.

The Bulls paid a heavy price for missing a kick to touch from a penalty, however, that error giving London field position for Michael Witt to work his way over after the hosts moved the ball left and then right in the 13th minute.

Witt converted for 6-0 and the Broncos then almost scored a second try after Elliot Kear and Kearney weren’t quite on the same wavelength in defence.

With Adrian Purtell secure under the high ball and Kearney forcing a penalty from a quick play-the-ball, the Bulls went on the front foot, Danny Addy wriggling through a couple of tackles to touch down at the end of the first quarter, Sammut levelling at 6-6 with the kick.

With the home side conceding another penalty for a high tackle by second row Shane Rodney on James Donaldson, the visitors moved into the lead on 25 minutes, Sammut delightfully delaying his pass to allow Chev Walker to burst through a gap and score by the posts for his 100th career try.

But, having worked their way into a deserved advantage, Bradford then gave up a try from a loose pass, the ball being seized on by Dixon, who raced in to score.

And buoyed by that, the Broncos, who were making easy ground in midfield, moved back into the lead before the break, Dixon pouncing for his second after hooker Lee had run laterally before putting in a kick to the corner that bounced perfectly for the winger.

There was still time in the half for England hopeful Dixon to complete his hat-trick, swooping on another loose ball to storm home from 80 metres as the Bulls tried to carve out an 18-16 interval lead with a try on their last play of the stanza.

Errors peppered the opening moments of the second half, most notably when Gale’s kick for territory landed in row E without bouncing, but the Bulls narrowed the gap on 46 minutes, Elliott Whitehead backing his strength to cross in the corner.

The low sun was a problem for the Bulls by now but the pace of a compelling contest finally slowed, although both sides were still trying to play expansively.

Jamie Langley’s slightly delayed pass led to Kearney running into a cul-de-sac and the Bulls were then pulled up for crossing by referee Thierry Alibert before they moved back into the lead on 56 minutes, Sammut touching down when he reached Addy’s kick through ahead of Broncos full back Alex Hurst.

And it was that man Sammut on the scoresheet again minutes later, finishing off a juicy break from Elliot Kear, who first ran from the right before cutting through the left-centre channel.

The Bulls then escaped a Leeds Rhinos repeat when they let a kick-off bounce, the ball travelling back towards the onrushing Broncos before the visitors grabbed hold of it.

But Sammut completed his hat-trick in the 68th minute with a choice individual effort, showing superb footwork to step inside the Broncos defence and have a clear run to the line.

The bearded Sammut was still not finished, though, and he raced clear to touch down at the posts after gaining possession from an overhead pass by Walker, the tiring London defence parting like the Red Sea.

Whitehead was so frustrated at spilling a pass in the 78th minute that he booted the ball against the face of the stand behind the London posts but he rounded off the scoring in the final minute, taking a long Sammut pass which teased the Broncos defence to stroll over.

The Bulls, magnificently backed by their fans – who seemed to make up over half of a poor crowd of only 1,441 – deserved their rapturous applause at the finish.