How did the Bradford Bulls get on against Swinton Lions?

That result means Swinton will have to play in the promotion/relegation game in a fortnight against League 1 play-off winners Keighley or Hunslet.

If the Lions lose that game, they will go down, but they will stay up with victory.

As for Bulls, third place was sewn up for them whatever the result was today, but who they would be up against in next weekend’s first play-off game was anyone’s guess.

And after this afternoon’s results, it is West Yorkshire rivals Featherstone Rovers who will be coming to the Bartercard Odsal Stadium for that eliminator, as they clung on to finish sixth despite losing at York.

On a sunny but chilly afternoon today, hapless Swinton were hammered by their rampant hosts.

The Bulls had tries from Franklin Pele (3), Max Lehmann (2), Tom Holmes, Logan Bayliss, Kieran Gill and Jayden Myers, with Jordan Lilley adding six goals and Jarrod Sammut one.

While it was important for third-placed Bulls to put in a decent performance ahead of the play-offs after their defeat to Halifax, it was even more vital for Swinton.

While the Bulls had beaten Swinton in eight of their last 10 meetings, drawing one and losing one, a lot of the matches have been close, with the Bulls for example triumphing by six points, four points and one point as well as having a 34-34 draw.

In at centre for the Bulls came centre Romain Franco and prop Daniel Smith, with John Davies promoted from the bench to the second row and Harvey Makin starting at loose forward instead of in the second row. On to the bench came Nathan Mason.

Swinton, who have been in good form of late had three changes, putting in Dan Abram at full back and Jonny Vaughan in the second row, and promoting Liam Cooper to the bench alongside former Bull Ant Walker.

Swinton kicked off towards the hospitality suite, and Tee Ritson made an important interception in the sixth minute as the Bulls were pressing in what was a scrappy opening.

But that was soon forgotten as the hosts moved the ball left for Lehmann to score two minutes later, Lilley adding a superb conversion.

Holmes, safe under the high ball, was making good ground from full back for the Bulls, and he bagged their second try in the 15th minute, Lilley failing with the goal this time from a similar position.

Play was largely in the Swinton half with Mitch Souter much involved and Sammut also looking lively.

That was also true of replacement Pele, and he got the Bulls’ third try from a bullocking 20-metre run from a Sammut pass - needless to say on the left - in the 32nd minute to make it 14-0, with Lilley again doing the necessary. Swinton were on the wrong end of a 5-1 penalty count at that time and they suffered a length-of-the-pitch try in the 36th minute that started with a risky pass from Holmes near his own line to Lehmann, who ran 100 metres to score, bringing the crowd to their feet.

Lilley’s goal made it 22-0 and they scored again inside the final minute of the first half, dragging Ritson towards his own line, Bayliss stripping the ball from him in a one-on-one to score, Lilley’s kick making the half-time score 28-0.

Bulls conceded the first two penalties of the second half without harm but a pin-point grubber kick from Lilley in the fourth minute enabled Gill to continue his excellent record against Swinton.

He made it six tries in five matches against the Lions, and that was soon followed by an amazing bulldozing run from Pele who took about half of the Swinton defenders over the line with him, Lilley hooking his goal attempt.

The visitors then lost centre Jake Spedding to a head injury assessment, being replaced by Cooper.

Gill then did well to disrupt a Swinton attack that seemed certain to end the Bulls’ clean sheet, and the Bulls’ eighth try was not long in coming as Myers went over on the right, with Lilley adding a fine goal.

With Ebon Scurr showing plenty of energy, the Bulls were hunting a ninth try, which eventually came in the 75th minute via Pele to seal his hat-trick, with Sammut adding the goal to bring up the half-century.

Prop Gavin Bennion rather summed up Swinton’s afternoon with a kick that went dead and a knock-on with the Lions pressing at the death.

Bulls: Holmes; Myers, Franco, Gill, Lehmann; Sammut, Lilley; Smith, Souter, Bayliss, Davies, Fulton, Makin. Interchange: Scurr, Ott, Mason, Pele.

Lions: Abram; Ritson, Spedding, Hatton, Williams; Stevens, Gibson, Wood, Eaves, Bennion, Vaughan, Cox, Hall. Interchange: Case, Walker, Cowen, Cooper.

Referee: Michael Smaill

PLEASE NOTE: WE WERE UNABLE TO PROVIDE A LIVE BLOG THIS AFTERNOON DUE TO A TECHNICAL ISSUE.

WE APOLOGISE UNRESERVEDLY FOR THIS AND CAN ASSURE READERS THAT THERE WILL BE A LIVE MATCHDAY BLOG FOR NEXT WEEKEND’S GAME AGAINST FEATHERSTONE.