London Broncos 25, Bradford Bulls 16

The Bulls can lose to the likes of Wigan, Warrington and Leeds and nobody will think the worse of them.

But being dumped out of the Tetley’s Challenge Cup by London Broncos?

That is another matter entirely, but it was a fate which befell them last night after a truly awful first-half performance.

Coach Francis Cummins was looking for a response after those recent Super League defeats to a trio of title challengers.

He did not get it.

Leading from an early Jarrod Sammut try, the Bulls were slowly but surely outmuscled by an aggressive London outfit guided expertly around the field by veteran half-back Craig Gower.

Tony Rea’s team, second bottom of the Super League table after losing ten of their opening 14 games, drew level with a try from former Bradford forward Matt Cook.

An exhilarating long-range effort by rising star Kieran Dixon and a close-range score from replacement prop Scott Wheeldon left London 18-6 up at the break.

It was no more than they deserved.

Antonio Kaufusi punched some sizeable holes up front, flattening the recalled James Donaldson with one challenge which left the Cumbrian needing treatment and forced him off the field.

That incident was placed on report and the loss of Brett Kearney to injury further disrupted the Bulls during a tough opening 40 minutes.

The onus was on the visitors to muster a response in the second half and claw their way back into the game.

This, they never did.

London defended in highly impressive fashion and grabbed a killer fourth try through Michael Witt shortly after the hour mark.

So there will be no trip to Wembley this year for Cummins and his players.

The defeat was in keeping with a bad day for the Bulls, with Jay Willey having announced she was ending her association with the club.

Willey had spoken of her intention to pump a six-figure sum into her home-town club in March and had seemed poised to follow through the declarations with a cash injection.

However, she issued a statement yesterday afternoon saying that she walked away due to major differences between herself and the club’s management team.

Cummins was missing prop Manase Manuokafoa with a thumb injury last night, forcing him to deploy former Great Britain centre Chev Walker in the front row.

The visitors began the game on the front foot and an early knock-on by Dixon gave Bradford the opportunity to build some pressure on London’s line.

A quick pass from Heath L’Estrange invited Elliot Kear to drive at the heart of the home defence in the right channel but Dixon and Dan Sarginson combined to halt his progress.

Moments later London were punished for holding down and Bradford marched their hosts upfield before Gale superbly ushered Sammut over the line from close range.

It was a fine piece of footwork from Gale and an even better offload which the supporting Sammut collected to scamper over from ten metres out.

Sammut also converted to put the Bulls 6-0 up but the Broncos soon steadied themselves and half-back Michael Witt kicked a superb 40-20.

It was the hosts’ first period of pressure on the Bradford line but second-rower Shane Grady knocked on horribly when well placed.

Yet in the 13th minute they drew level when hooker Tommy Lee found Gower and his short pass sent Cook bustling over from close range.

Witt added the conversion and moments later Nick Scruton appeared to catch a London player late, sparking a melee which led to referee James Child calling L’Estrange and Broncos skipper Gower together in an appeal for calm.

The message was not heeded. Moments later, London prop Kaufusi flattened Donaldson with a heavy challenge which Child placed on report.

Donaldson received treatment and rather groggily rose to his feet before being helped off the field and replaced by Ben Evans. Sidlow soon replaced Scruton but London were up for this one all right.

Gale’s intelligent kicking continued to offer the Bulls an outlet but they could not make it pay. London kept them at bay with some obstinate defending before hitting Bradford with a vicious sucker-punch in the 24th minute.

Collecting possession on the left-hand touchline, England Knights winger Dixon raced 75 metres, leaving Kear and Matty Blythe for dead to outstrip the Bradford defence and race under the posts.

Witt added the extras and, shortly after the half-hour mark, Kearney picked up a knock and was replaced, forcing Cummins to deploy Sammut at full back and move Danny Addy into the halves.

Moments later, Gower flighted a high kick behind the Broncos’ defence, causing havoc which forced the Bulls to concede a goal-line drop-out.

That gifted possession back to the Broncos and they made it count as a neat short offload from Ben Fister beckoned replacement prop Scott Wheeldon to barrel over the line from point-blank range.

Another easy conversion for Witt made it 18-6 and left the Bulls staring at defeat.

Goodness knows what Cummins said to his troops at half-time but he must surely have rammed home the point that things could only get better.

Five minutes after the break, Gale embarked on a searing break from inside his own half and tore past several London players.

He showed intelligence to find Sammut in support and he in turn kept the move flowing with a pass to Purtell to his left, but the centre’s progress was halted.

Keith Lulia was denied close to the line by some staunch London defending, before John Bateman’s grubber kick was overcooked and the opportunity lost.

The final nail in the Bulls’ coffin came when a high bouncing kick was not dealt with by the visiting defence and Witt was on hand to ground the ball.

Scruton did superbly well to touch the ball down with nine minutes remaining and Matt Diskin then passed to a London player moments later when well placed.

A try could have set up a grandstand finish but Witt dropped a goal at the other end before Kear dived over in the right corner in the dying embers.

Cummins must now rally his troops ahead of Friday’s trip to Salford as the Bulls look to get their play-off bid back on track.

Attendance: 1,237