For two players with just one game for Bulls between them before Friday night, loanees Romain Franco and Jack Smith did a sterling job on the left edge in the thumping 54-0 win over Dewsbury.

Debutant Franco scored two tries in two minutes in the second half of this Betfred Championship clash, while Smith stood up and was counted when the going got tough early on.

After the game, O’Carroll said to the T&A: “Franco and Jack did a good job, which was really pleasing.

“First and foremost, they did what we asked of them, then they complemented that with lots of effort.

“I thought Jack, particularly in the first half, was outstanding.

“I thought he was very good when we were in the grind and it wasn’t going all our way, with some really good carries and good body position, which got us out of our own half really well.

Jack Smith (right) celebrates Tom Holmes' try late in the first half, having put in some real effort beforehand to give Bulls a platform in the game to build from.Jack Smith (right) celebrates Tom Holmes' try late in the first half, having put in some real effort beforehand to give Bulls a platform in the game to build from. (Image: Tom Pearson.)

“Franco just did what he does and when he had the opportunity, he iced some players as well.

“There was a little bit of concern there, because they’d not had too much practice time together, but they came in and I had the utmost confidence in them.”

And O’Carroll has that same confidence in his Bulls side to come good as games wear on.

They were 4-0 down at Doncaster with 15 minutes to go last Sunday, only for a late burst to see them to an 18-4 victory, while they were only six points in front against the rock-bottom Rams just before the break on Friday night, then went on to score eight tries in 45 minutes.

O’Carroll insisted after the win over Dewsbury: “I think that’s the way the game should go and it’s something we have to understand as a team.

“It can’t just all happen for you straightaway, this is a tough competition, so you’ve got to earn the right and take some juice out of your opposition.

“We managed to do that today and it should be 12-0 or 12-6 at half-time, then the team that can go after it in in the second half normally comes out through the other side.

“It was set up perfectly for us tonight, I wouldn’t have wanted it to be a blowout score.

“It was important we went in humble at half-time knowing we had to stick to what we were doing, knowing it’s an 80-minute game and reinforcing the belief that the points would come at the back end of the game if we kept hold of the ball and kept defending well.

“That’s what happened, so I was happy with how it panned out.”