Super 8s: Bradford end Championship’s drought against Super League rivals

Bradford Bulls' Jake Mullaney celebrates after scoring a try against Salford. Picture: Anna Gowthorpe

The Australian full-back - dumped after just 13 games with Salford last year - returned from injury to fill in at scrum-half and inspire Bradford’s superb seven-try 41-10 victory over their woeful opponents.

The Bulls had been awful themselves when losing at Wakefield last week but Jimmy Lowes’ Championship side gave their promotion hopes a huge lift with this emphatic win.

With hooker Adam O’Brien and Scotland half-back Danny Addy dictating, and ex-Parramatta player Mullaney bringing the spark before he departed with another injury, their Super League opponents had no answers.

It had taken eight attempts for a Championship side to defeat a top-flight opponent in the Super 8s but Bradford will feel it was worth the wait.

Hull KR warmed up for the Challenge Cup final at Wembley with a hard-fought 12-8 victory in the driving rain at Widnes.

Tries from Kris Welham and debutant George Lawler were enough as the Robins went top of the Super 8s Qualifiers at the expense of the misfiring Vikings.