Featherstone Rovers maintain perfect start - but Bradford Bulls provide sternest test yet

In a compelling Championship contest, Fev were given their sternest challenge of the season so far following four immensely convincing wins in their opening four rounds of fixtures.

But, despite a valiant effort from the Bulls, tries from Riley Dean, Luke Briscoe, Gareth Gale, Jonathan Davies and Johnathon Ford ensured Rovers, just about, preserved their 100 per cent start.

The margin between the two teams by the final whistle, perhaps, doesn’t provide a true picture of the game as, if the visitors had brought their kicking game, they could have been level at 20-20 going into the final ten minutes. In the end, Ford’s late try merely secured another set of two points for the home side.

Bradford would certainly not have been underestimated by Sean Long’s men having ruined Toulouse’s perfect start to the campaign last weekend.

And Fev, like in their previous fixtures, started brightly and went ahead when Dean slotted through a gap after a fantastic pass from Matty Wildie. Dean then nearly turned provider for Jack Bussey but he was prevented in getting to the tryline by Declan Patton.

The Bulls, undeterred by going behind, and clearly still buoyant from inflicting Toulouse’s first defeat of the season, charged back into the game when Tom Holmes went over following a great low kick by Kieran Gill.

Gill then scored himself two minutes later when he gleefully picked up a loose ball - but both conversion attempts struck the post.

It didn’t take long for Featherstone to hit back with Dean being the creator with a magnificent pass and Briscoe doing the rest, flying through the air to touch down in the right corner.

Four rounds in, and 228 points in the ‘for’ column at an average of nearly 60 points per game, the evidence is clearly there that Rovers don’t really need any outside assistance in winning games of rugby league.

But the Bulls gave them a massive helping hand after George Roby was sin-binned for a late hit on Elijah Taylor, leaving the visitors with only 12 men for the remaining ten minutes of the first half.

However, Fev could only manage a further four points with a man advantage as a flowing move involving Wildie and Ford led to Gale strolling in.

With the score at 14-8, Bradford took a decision to take two points after receiving a penalty but their third kick of the night was also off target. However, considering the man advantage, the Bulls will have felt the happier side at the interval.

And although Mark Dunning’s men applied pressure at the start of the second half, Davies extended the lead when he proved unstoppable from close range after a pass from ex-Bulls prop Craig Kopczak.

The game was starting to be marred by a series of unforced errors but the Bulls were only two scores away from levelling the game with twenty minutes remaining at 20-8 - no team has been this close to Fev in the first four rounds.

Amazingly though, Bradford got even closer after Arundel streaked clear after a Kopczak offload went wrong. And although it was another tough kick from out wide, it was, fortunately for the home side, missed again. If all four were successful, it would have been an even nervier ending for Rovers.

However, Ford barged over with five minutes left to seal a hard-fought win.

Featherstone: Pickersgill, Briscoe, Leilua, Hardcastle, Gale, Ford, Dean, Lockwood, Wildie, Cozza, Day, Bussey, Taylor

Interchangers: Jones, Kopczak, Yei, Davies

Tries: Dean, Briscoe, Gale, Davies, Ford

Conversions: Dean (3)

Bradford: Holmes, Blackmore, Arundel, Gill, Tindall, Lilley, Patton, Rogers, Flanagan Sr, Baldwinson, Wallace, Thompson, Lawrence

Interchangers: Appo, Johnson, Foster, Roby

Tries: Holmes, Gill, Arundel