Crusaders gored by Bulls

Ah Van: Perfect kicking record

Bradford marked their last home game of the season with a crushing 48-24 victory over Crusaders, ending a three-game losing streak in the process.

The Bulls had conceded a total of 158 points in their previous three games but rebounded in fine style at Odsal Stadium.

Patrick Ah Van enjoyed a 100 per cent record with the boot as he registered a total of 20 points, while Ben Jeffries had a hand in several of the hosts' eight tries.

Olivier Elima and Brett Kearney both touched down twice and Stuart Reardon also grabbed a double for Crusaders, but the Welsh outfit were well beaten in the end.

The visitors made a poor start as Jeffries ghosted through the middle of the Crusaders line before calmly playing in Elima for the first of his two converted scores.

But they levelled the contest in the 13th minute as scrum-half Lloyd White shrugged off a handful of Bradford defenders to cross the whitewash, with Clinton Schifcofske adding the extras.

Lead

The Bulls would soon be back in front as Elima's second score handed the initiative back to Mick Potter's side.

Jeffries had a kick charged down and in the ensuing scramble, Bradford grabbed possession and spread the ball to the left where Elima took advantage of the stretched defence to cross the try-line.

Crusaders did hit back again, however, when a flowing passing move along the right was finished off when Tony Martin cut the ball inside to the overlapping Reardon.

Schifcofske could not convert this time and Bradford capitalised to extend their lead to eight points when Kearney grounded a kick from Jeffries over the try-line.

Crusaders' hopes of mounting another comeback were given a setback when substitute Ben Flower was sin-binned for tripping Shaun Ainscough as the Bulls went into the break 18-10 up.

Denied

Craig Kopczak, who had earlier been denied a try due to a forward pass, extended the lead early in the second half after bursting over near the right-hand post after collecting Adam O'Brien's lay-off.

Bradford were now in full stride as Jeffries and Kyle Briggs combined to leave Ainscough with the simplest of finishes on the right before Ah Van made it five out five with the boot.

The big winger then showed a fine turn of pace to sprint the length of the field for a try of his own after Crusaders had spilled the ball, but he was subsequently beaten to the ball in the air by Peter Lupton as Iestyn Harris' side responded with their first try of the second half.

But that proved to merely be a blip for the Bulls as Lynch barged his way over on the last tackle, while Kearney latched on to Kopczak's grubber for his second of the afternoon in between Reardon's dive over the whitewash.

Martin grabbed a consolation for Crusaders when he crashed over on the right, with Schifcofske registering his second conversion to complete the scoring.