Bradford Bulls 58 Leigh Centurions 16: Nero hat-trick helps Bulls shrug off Leigh challenge

Carnegie challenge cup: CHRIS NERO emerged with a hat-trick of tries to ruin Robbie Paul's Odsal farewell and ease Bradford into the Carnegie Challenge Cup quarter-finals.

There was no fairytale ending for Leigh scrum-half Paul, who reached five finals during his glorious Bradford career.

Paul could do nothing to prevent the current vintage romp into tomorrow's draw as Nero, the 29-year-old Australian centre who played alongside him in the 2006 final with Huddersfield, showed his class.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Nero consistently ripped to pieces the plucky Championship side who had harboured hopes of springing a surprise given their unbeaten league form but were ultimately blown away by Steve McNamara's all-powerful team.

Bradford, who had lost for the first time in seven games at Murrayfield last week, put their opponents under pressure from the off last night when Leigh failed to deal with the kick-off.

It was the last outcome Ian Millward's side needed if they were ever going to cause the upset some thought possible. Leigh required a positive opening to fire their confidence and quell that of Bradford but instead they were behind their own goalposts after just four minutes.

Captain Andy Lynch was held up over the line but moments later Nero glided in for the evening's first score, picking up Brett Kearney's long but off-cue pass.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Paul Sykes added the first of his nine conversions and the hosts quickly built up a commanding advantage.

Kearney slipped a lovely pass in midfield to set Elliott Whitehead clear, Sykes supporting up the middle for an 11th-minute try and Bradford hit Leigh immediately from the re-start. Dave Halley, switched to full-back to allow Kearney to move up to scrum-half in Matt Orford's absence, lofted a long pass out wide which caught the visitors dosing and gave Steve Menzies a hint of space.

The veteran second-row, handed a well-earned breather for the evening out in the centres, showed all his class to put Rikki Sheriffe scampering away and then motored up himself to finish off a sweeping 80 metre raid.

Ex-Great Britain winger Stuart Reardon – back after a five-game absence with injury – should have extended the lead following some wonderful off-loading by Lynch and Nick Scruton, but he failed to hang on to Nero's assist.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

The visitors were constantly troubled by the front-row pairing of Lynch and Scruton. Their muscular charges punched plenty of holes and Leigh were unable to prevent them getting the ball clear.

Former Leeds prop Scruton also delivered one seismic tackle on James Taylor early on while his team-mate hinted at the sort of form which – with McNamara now in charge of England – could finally see him earn the international recognition his consistency over the last five years has merited.

Leigh did get off the mark when Michael Worrincy's lazy pass was easily picked off by stand-off Martin Ridyard who strolled in from 30 metres to hand Mick Nanyn a simple conversion, but another Lynch off-load soon provided Kearney with his tenth try of the campaign, Sykes's kick making it 24-6 at the break.

Leigh made the Bulls wait to start the second half, emerging late from the changing rooms, but if it was a deliberate tactic to make their opponents freeze it backfired.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

It was Millward's men caught cold as the controlling Kearney crafted a wide chasm for Worrincy to walk through just two minutes after the game finally re-started.

Some slick interchanging between Whitehead and Nero had Leigh

scrambling once more but it only delayed the inevitable as Nero was the first of four unmarked players all waiting to pluck out the next of Sykes's arrowed wide passes.

The combination of Sheriffe and Menzies breathlessly linked once more to strike in almost identical manner to their first-half effort, the evergreen Menzies showing no signs of his 36 years in grabbing his sixth try of the season.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

With Leigh fading, Nero made the most of some tiring legs to dance through for his hat-trick before the centre's next burst had them in disarray again, allowing Godwin to race in.

Donlan weaved his way over when a rare Bulls error finally handed Leigh some position and, although Bulls hooker Heath L'Estrange fashioned a close-range try for Glenn Hall, the valiant Centurions struck again through Dave Armistead to register the final score of the night, Nanyn converting.

However, it is Bradford – who have not won the cup since Paul and co defeated Leeds in 2003 – who continue to move closer to Wembley.

Bradford: Halley; Sheriffe, Menzies, Nero, Reardon; Sykes, Kearney; Scruton, L'Estrange, Lynch, Whitehead, Worrincy, Hall. Substitutes: Donaldson, Godwin, Platt, Kopczak.

Leigh: Donlan; Madden, Leuluai, Nanyn, Stanton; Ridyard, Paul; Hill, McConnell, Bibey, Goulden, Taylor, Armistead. Substitutes: Durbin, Morrison, Mort, Meekin.

Referee: T Alibert (Toulose)