Kylie is KO'd but Rhinos flatten Bradford

No team is invincible but the Rhinos are awfully close when they turn on the style and Bradford will still be smarting from their defeat on Friday morning.

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Last week Leeds blew away Harlequins 48-0 and five tries before half time last night gave the Headingley outfit a 26-2 lead that they were never going to throw away.

Brent Webb's hat-trick merely added icing to a deliciously sweet cake for the Rhinos.

They have now won 10 or their last 14 meetings against the Bulls and continue to pose questions to which most of Super League has no answer.

Both teams were without six first-team regulars but there was some good news for Leeds with the return of Lee Smith and Matt Diskin. However, coach Brian McClennan still had to name a bench including Simon Worrall and Luke Burgess, both yet to start a competitive Rhinos game.

It quickly went from bad to worse for the hosts when Kylie Leuluai was stretchered off after being knocked out trying to tackle Bradford forward Chris Feather. Leeds were, bizarrely, trailing by that stage, Paul Deacon booting a long-range goal after Gareth Ellis was penalised for crossing, but their response was tremendous.

With Leuluai missing, much of the onus in the Rhinos' front row fell on national captain Jamie Peacock and he was in typically combative form, driving Leeds forward with added determination against his former club.

Diskin's inventiveness also caused problems for the Bulls and he combined with Peacock before unleashing a smart kick that Jamie Jones-Buchanan collected to swing the momentum in Leeds' favour.

Bradford were finding it increasingly difficult to cope with Leeds' free-flowing style and McClennan's men extended their lead when Kevin Sinfield galloped on to Rob Burrow's pass before offloading to Webb to give the Kiwi full-back a clear run to the Bulls' line.

Steve McNamara threw on former Leeds favourite Iestyn Harris but even when Bradford did press they were met with magnificent defence and Leeds' pace was highlighted with a three more quick-fire tries just before half time.

Webb defused Harris' kick to give the hosts a 20-metre restart and Jones-Buchanan sliced the Bulls open with a 50metre surge before setting Smith free for Leeds' third try.

Then Ellis first pounced on a loose ball before Burrow finished in the corner and then burst through Chris Nero and Matt James before unleashing Webb for his second try as Leeds led 26-2 at the break. Australian winger Scott Donald continued the blitz immediately after the restart, racing away for his ninth try of the year when Luke Burgess collected Deacon's kick and set the Rhinos' winger free.

To their credit, Bradford continued to look for a way back but Deacon and Semi Tadulala were both held up by a committed Leeds side determined to keep the visitors at bay.

The hosts saved their best try until midway through the second half when Smith intercepted David Solomona's hopeful pass. Ben Jeffries eventually hauled down Smith but Leeds swept the ball wide and Burrow sidestepped three defenders before darting under the posts.

Webb completed his hat-trick late on by pouncing on Jordan Tansey's kick to end a miserable night for the Bulls.

LEEDS — T: Jones-Buchanan, Webb 3, Smith, Burrow 2, Donald. G: Sinfield 4, Burrow 2.

BRADFORD — G: Deacon.

HT: 26-2. Att: 19,296.