Bulls legend Lesley Vainikolo is urging his former club to turn on the style and compound the early-season misery of Leeds when the Engage Super League rivals meet tomorrow.

The record-breaking Tongan giant believes the Bulls players will be primed and ready to taste one of the sweetest moments in sport – victory over the Rhinos at Headingley Carnegie.

The defending champions have lost five of their opening eight fixtures and are in the midst of a mounting injury crisis which Vainikolo hopes Bradford will take full advantage of.

“It would be great to see the Bulls go and rub salt in Leeds’ wounds with a big victory,” said Vainikolo, who scored 149 tries in 152 games for the Bulls, including a record 36 in the 2004 Super League season.

“Bradford-Leeds derbies are just awesome. They are the matches that bring out the best in you.

“Some of the highlights of my rugby league career came from playing against Leeds and if the Bradford players get the result I think they’re going to get, it will be something they’ll never forget.

“It’s always sweet to beat Leeds in their own back yard and looking at them now, I think they’re ready for the taking.”

Vainikolo signed off his league career with a starring role in Bradford’s 38-14 win over Leeds at Headingley in 2007 before switching codes.

Now the Gloucester union winger is hoping to roar on the Bulls watching on television from his home in the south west.

“I always watch the boys whenever they’re on TV and I have a good feeling about this Bradford team,” he said.

“When I was at the club we had a great mix of players from different cultures but now they’ve gone for a mainly English squad with a few Aussies in there.

“There aren’t any Tongans or Kiwis at Bradford now and that would be a little bit sad were it not for the fact that, like us, they’re a group of players who want to play for each other.

“It was always going to take time for Steve McNam-ara to make the team his own but it’s good to see what he’s done.

“Happy players are usually winning players and from everything I see about Bradford, they’re a happy squad.

“That’s one of the reasons why I think the Bulls will go well, not just tomorrow but for the rest of the season.

“Leeds are hurting badly at the moment and I think Bradford will add to that hurt.”