Orr's class breaks Bulls
Castleford 44 Bradford 14
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Your support makes all the difference.They might have been proud standard-bearers for their code in the Middlesex Sevens, but these are trying times for Bradford in their main line of business.
After their 50-point thrashing by St Helens in Super League last weekend, the Bulls were again outplayed by a Castleford side inspired by Danny Orr and doing their chances of making the play-offs a power of good. It was the first time in Brian Noble's two seasons in charge that they have lost games back to back. "We've all got to have new experiences,'' Noble said. "The endeavour is there, but we were trying too hard to put things right.''
Castleford dominated the feared Bradford pack without a fully fit specialist prop for most of the game. Their tactics of moving the ball wide and using a varied kicking game were exactly right and began to pay off in the 11th minute when Waine Pryce scored from Orr's long pass. After a player from each side had been sent to the sin bin for holding on in the tackle, Andy Johnson kicked ahead and, making the first of Bradford's damaging errors, Michael Withers' slip allowed Mitch Healey to touchdown.
Leon Pryce powered his way over to hint at a Bulls fightback, but he and Scott Naylor were then beaten by Johnson's run as the Tigers finished the first half well on top.
It was three tries in nine minutes at the start of the second half that made sure that Cas would be climbing above Widnes into seventh place and that Bradford would not be replacing Saints at the top. Robbie Paul's knock-on saw a neat scrum base move release Jon Wells for the first of them and then Nathan McAvoy made a hash of Healey's kick for Barrie-Jon Mather to pounce.
Orr, the clear man of the match, then underlined his class by selling a dummy and sprinting 60 yards for his side's sixth try. "There are people in high positions who think that physically he's not a Test footballer,'' said the Castleford coach Graham Steadman of his captain. "I'd argue with that.''
After Paul Deacon forced his way over for Bradford, Orr provided further evidence with a lovely pass for Lee Harland to round off a great team performance. "Bradford weren't at their best," Steadman admitted. "They made a lot of mistakes and we punished them.''
Castleford: Rogers; Wells, Eagar, Johnson, W Pryce; Orr, Healey; Smith, Bartrim, Lynch, Harland, Fritz, Hudson. Substitutes: Saxton, Mather, Sykes, Lennon.
Bradford: Withers; Vaikona, Naylor, Gilmour, MacAvoy; Paul, Deacon; Vagana, Lowes, Fielden, Peacock, Radford, Forshaw. Substitutes: Vainikolo, McDermott, Anderson, L Pryce.
Referee: S Ganson of St Helens.
* Hull bounced back from last week's defeat to Leeds by beating the bottom side Salford 60-16 at The Boulevard yesterday, running in 11 tries as they restored their five-point lead over sixth-placed London.
* Halifax will today confirm their former player and Hull assistant coach Tony Anderson as their new coach, replacing Steve Linnane who was sacked on Saturday.
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