Bradford Bulls 6 Huddersfield Giants 42: ‘Workmanlike’ Giants underline title credentials as Bulls wilt

In a performance full of both brawn and brio, Paul Anderson’s side were simply too strong and effective for their hapless opponents.

Bradford may have stunned them with a 43-18 win at Huddersfield in March but there would be no repeat here at Magic Weekend.

Outstanding hooker Shaun Lunt continued his fine season with a commanding display, Danny Brough was typically influential while the powerful Dale Ferguson ran in two tries against some abject Bulls defence with full-back Jamie Foster coming in for some particularly rough treatment.

At times he was like a feather in the wind trying to stop Huddersfield’s surging runners as they recorded their biggest winning Super League margin against their West Yorkshire rivals.

However, the ex-St Helens winger, filling in for Brett Kearney and just back from injury, was not the only Bradford player embarrassed.

Having seen his side strengthen their hold on second spot, staying in touch with leaders Wigan, Anderson said: “Our mind-set is to go through teams, not around them.

“We know we’ve got the ability to do both, though, and if you look we scored all our tries through short passes to big men coming at speed.

“If you were going to describe our performance I reckon you could say it was workmanlike.

“We created a lot of opportunities and didn’t take as many as we should have done.

“I think at times the occasion got to us with the carnival atmosphere; everyone wants to throw the ball around, hence the scorelines in a lot of the games here.

“We fell into that trap for a period but every time we decided to just be direct, we created havoc and scored points.”

Huddersfield were already in firm control by the break when they led 18-0 after capitalising on some woeful defence, Ferguson, Scott Grix and Larne Patrick all profiting with Brough converting each time.

Bradford had been unlucky to see Elliot Kear twice denied, first by the video referee and then by a fine Aaron Murphy tackle.

Bulls threatened once more at the start of the second period but Murphy again managed to track down Jarrod Sammut after the Australian intercepted and then followed up brilliantly in the same set by crucially tying down Foster.

When Danny Addy did find a 40/20, Sammut coughed up the ball to further frustrate coach Francis Cummins and then came the Giants onslaught as Ferguson, Lunt, Anthony Mullally with his first for the club, and the impeccable Brett Ferres all scored as their opponents badly wilted down the middle.

Foster at least saved them from the ignominy of being nilled by scoring just before the hour but he was found badly wanting at the other end.

Cummins, who lost scrum-half Luke Gale and second-row John Bateman to training ground injuries in the week, defended him though.

“He’s deputising, doesn’t really know the role and had a lot to do with people running straight through our defensive line,” he said.

“Obviously we don’t have Brett Kearney in there so it was always going to be tough.

“The choice was to play Jarrod Sammut but I didn’t really like how we were defensively last week with our back three and Danny Brough’s probably got the best kicking game in the league.

“We knew it was always going to be a makeshift and I don’t think the full-back selection was the reason why we lost the game today.

“We were awful defending some of our field position and there were some below-par performances.

“It was definitely a bad day for us – they were the better team.”

Bradford Bulls: Foster; Kear, Blythe, Lulia, Purtell; Addy, Sammut; Scruton, L’Estrange, Langley, Olbison, Whitehead, Walker. Substitutes: Diskin, Donaldson, Evans, Fairbank

Huddersfield Giants: Grix; McGillvary, Cudjoe, Ferres, Murphy; Brough, Robinson; Crabtree, Lunt, Kopczak, Ta’ai, Chan, Ferguson. Substitutes: Patrick, Cording, Mullally, Dwyer.

Referee: J Child (Dewsbury).