London Broncos coach, Mike Eccles, will have circled the trip to the Huddersfield Giants as a potential red letter day for his side as they headed north looking for the two points which would lift them above a woeful Hull FC and into eleventh spot with just two games remaining and further embarrass the Black & Whites who are guaranteed Super League rugby in 2025 under the IMG criteria.

The Huddersfield Giants have their own problems as they try to guard their ninth spot from a late charge from the Castleford Tigers who lie just a point behind on the league table, but the bookies believed that this would be a Giants win as they were handicapped by fourteen points on the coupon.

It was London with seemingly more to play for.

The Rhinos travelled to a much-improved London Broncos in the hope of registering a cricket score to improve their chances of making the play-offs should the final reckoning come down to points difference with a win by twelve enough to take them above the Catalans Dragons and into seventh spot.

But London were likely to prove stern opposition as they came into the game knowing that a win would lift them off the bottom for the first time in 2024 and above Hull FC who lost their round twenty-four game to Castleford yesterday.

London were given a twenty-eight point start on the coupon, the bookies in no doubt that this would be a big win for the visitors as they maintained the feintest of hopes of a play-off place.

Leigh Leopards have a laser like focus on just one thing in 2024, and that is to unseat either the Catalans Dragons, St Helens or their nearest neighbours Salford Red Devils and secure a place a the end of season play offs.

What stood in their way today was a London Broncos side who have shown some improvement in form throughout the 2024 season and who knew a win was likely to lift them away from bottom spot in the table and plunge Hull FC into further turmoil with just four games of the regular season to go.

The visitors were strong favourites with the bookies, London having been given a twenty-two-point start on the coupon, and seventh place in the table beckoned as the Leopards looked to be positioned just a point adrift of their competitors for the last of the six places.

First up for a magical weekend of rugby league at Elland Road in Leeds  was a desperate basement battle between current bottom side the London Broncos and the side just two points ahead of them in eleventh place, Hull FC.

Even a massive London win would not be sufficient to lift the Broncos above the Airlie Birds due to the chasm between the two teams’ points difference, and it was the Black and Whites who were handicapped by eight points on the coupon with the bookies expecting them to brin home the points and double the lead over their closest rivals for the wooden spoon.

With any potential relegation being determined by IMG and not table position, the only thing to play for was pride, and who would want the win enough to take the points.

It’s fourteen years since a London side (the then Harlequins) beat the Catalans Dragons in the nation’s capital and the bookies believed that the losing streak would continue in 2024 as they handicapped the visitors by twenty-four points, expecting a one-sided game.

A win for the Dragons would put them up to fourth in the table, on points difference, but the London fans making their way into the Cherry Red Records Stadium hoped that this might be the second league victory of the season for their side who have shown marked improvement in recent weeks.

Surely this wouldn’t be the round that London got their second win.

It wasn’t a question of who would win the basement encounter between the London Broncos and Hull FC, it was more a question of how many Hull FC would win by as any notion of defeat for the Black and Whites was simply unthinkable.

The bookies were confident in a win for the away side, giving the Broncos a twelve-point start on the coupon, the Airlie Birds only win in 2024 was the last ditch 28-24 victory over todays opponents when the sides met back at the beginning of March.

FC were undefeated in their last twelve meetings with the London side, a stretch meaning that the Broncos moniker has never defeated a Hull FC side.

London simply didn't stand a chance.

 

Just a week after the two sides met in the nation’s capital, Warrington Wolves and London Broncos met again in the Challenge Cup, this time at the Halliwell Jones Stadium as London tried to put the previous weekends hammering out of their minds and focus on the slim chance of cup progress.

London had been given a thirty-eight-point start on the coupon and if you fancied a flutter ten you could get 100/1 on a Broncos win, there was zero chance of an upset and every potential that it could be a cricket score in Warrington’s favour.

Warrington made a couple of changes to last week, but it was a fundamental shuffle in the pack for London in the hope of bolstering up round fives paper thin defence.

The top of the table awaited Warrington Wolves as they travelled south to take on the London Broncos in the knowledge that a victory by more than forty-four points would lift them to the top of the pile at the end of round five of Super League XXIX.

After their promotion at the end of last season the Broncos are still seeking their first win of 2024 as they look to clamber from the foot of the table, a loss by less more than ten points would see them drop back below the Castleford Tigers and into bottom spot.

The bookies and pundits couldn’t see past a win for the visitors with London being given a twenty-four-point start on the coupon.

Either Hull FC, or the newly promoted London Broncos, would get their 2024 points haul off the big zero as the two sides met in the final game of round three of Super League XXIX, with the leagues bottom side taking on the team in tenth spot.

The Airlie Birds came into the game decimated by injuries and suspensions after a nightmare start to the season which had seen them zero from two with a big negative points difference having only managed to score a total of ten points, but they were still two places above their opponents who had managed just a single try in their two games while shipping in seventy points.

The bookies had installed the Broncos as the underdogs with a fourteen-point start on the coupon but the round had seen a couple of shocks in the fixtures earlier in the weekend.

After stunning a Featherstone Rovers side, who were already making plans for 2024 in the Super League, with a sensational performance last weekend the London Broncos made the trip to the south of France to take on a Toulouse XIII side who were the hot favourites to make an immediate return to the topflight after having been relegated at the end of 2022.

It was an expansionists’ dream game with the guarantee that a side away from the rugby league heartlands would be plying their trade in the top division next season and the bookies had handicapped the home side by six points with the expectation that it would be a close game but with the French side being victorious.

With changes in the offing for league structure in 2025, and possession being nine tenths of the law, then it was crucial for both sides that they gained promotion from today’s game.

After dominating the league season, it was Featherstone Rovers who were the massive favourites to make progress in the second play-off semi-final as they looked to end the aspirations of the London Broncos and make progress to take on Toulouse Olympique XIII next weekend in the Million Pound game.

Few gave the Broncos any hope as they made their way up the M1 to Post Office Road, many neutrals believing that it was almost pre-destined that it would be Rovers making the move into Super League this season after missing out in the final in 2019 and 2021.

The bookies thought that it was a foregone conclusion, but the Broncos have timed themselves to peak at the right time of the season and came into the game full of optimism about their chances.

After a breathless couple of Challenge Cup semi-finals, the curtain was brought down on the Saturday afternoon fixtures by an AB Sundecks 1895 Cup semi-final between the London Broncos and Halifax Panthers as two sides from the Championship looked to book their trip to Wembley Stadium.

All the pre-match indications were for a home win for the Broncos against a Halifax side who have struggled of late, seen the recent announcement of the end of season departure of their coach, and without a win against the Broncos in the capital since 2003.

The bookies agreed, the Broncos slight favourites for the win at Rosslyn Park but both sides were 80 minutes away from a Wembley appearance.

The team with the second best attack, and the second best defence, Toulouse Olympique XIII came into the Summer Bash in York looking for the win which would take them back above the Sheffield Eagles and into second place in the table as they took on a London Broncos who have disappointed so far this season and are currently sat in tenth position in the table and themselves needing a big points win to move up to eighth.

The bookies and pundits couldn´t see past a Toulouse victory as they looked to get back to winning ways after losing the Batley Bulldogs and Swinton Lions in their last two games, putting a serious dent into their title and promotion aspirations.

London would need to dig deep to get anything out of the game.

Two sides in danger of slipping out of the play-off race met at the LNER Stadium as tenth placed York RLFC Knights took on a London Broncos in eleventh spot with both sides already four points adrift of the top six spots in the nine round old league table.

Both sides have lost on their previous two items and neither side have registered a win since March, the Knights having to look as far back at two months for their last two league points, despite a minor cup run which will see them take on the Broncos again in a fortnights time.

York were the favourites with the bookies and had been handicapped by twelve points on the coupon, but the Broncos have the propensity to spring a surprise when least expected.

It wouldn’t be a Challenge Cup final weekend without the now traditional Friday Night Lights encounter at London Skolars, this season the opposition being Betfred League One fourth placed side Hunslet.

The 4G pitch at the New River Stadium in Wood Green, a ten mile drive around the North Circular, always attracts a good following of diehard Rugby League supporters down in the nationals capital to make a weekend of it.

But two important league points were up for grabs as Hunslet looked to cement their play-off spot while a loss would spell the end of the Skolars chase for the play-offs and the second promotion spot for another season.

Two sides looking for some winning form met at the KCOM Stadium as roller coaster side Hull FC took on a London Broncos side who know that every point is absolutely crucial for their survival in Super League.

Hull FC are still third in the table despite two consecutive defeats, however, a loss tonight could have seen them end the weekend in fifth place.

London Broncos were bottom of the table but if they could get the victory then they would go level on points with the Rhinos and the Giants and lift themselves above Hull’s city neighbours KR into eleventh.

FC were without the injured Albert Kelly and Andre Savelio, while Danny Ward selected Sam Davis, Matty Fleming and James Cunningham for his run on side.

A win would do little to improve either sides league position, but would do a great deal more for team moral and aspirations for the remainder of the season, as we head towards the half way point in Super League XXIV.

Eighth placed Wigan Warriors needed to win by fifty-five points or more to go above the Salford Red Devils, whereas the London Broncos, currently propping up the table, needed a forty-two point winning margin to claw themselves ahead of Hull KR.

All the smart money was on more misery for Danny Ward’s travelling London Broncos, but Wigan were fragile enough in 2019 to be worried about every match they play.

They say defence wins games.

That certainly proved the case for Championship coach of the year Danny Ward’s London team in Toronto.

 

In a tense and exciting game that managed to avoid any tries at all, the Broncos won a Super League place in 2019 by two penalty goals to one – or four points to two.

Hull KR’s victory had just pushed the Toronto Wolfpack into the Million Pound Game position and they knew that a home victory against London Broncos was critical.

If  they could win by thirty-three points or more, then they could finish the weekend in second place.

The Broncos were in town, themselves with an eye on the top three and knowing that a six point win would lift them above KR and their opponents today.

Both sides looked strong as they emerged into the Canadian sunshine at the Lamport Stadium.

Honours were shared in 2018 with a win apiece and both sides came into todays game on the back of narrow losses a fortnight ago.

Ex-team mates Kevin Sinfield and Danny Ward faced a head-to-head battle at the Trailfinders Sports Ground as the Leeds Rhinos travelled to Ealing, London to take on the Broncos.

Both sides came into the game after winning their opening Qualifiers game, with both looking to make it two out of two as they continue their quest for Super League in 2019.

The Rhinos bad luck with injuries continued last week against Toulouse but they did wecome back Stevie Ward and Liam Sutcliffe to their ranks.

  It was a strong London side, captained by ex-Rhino Jay Pitts, and Ward was determined to make sure that his side gave his former employers a nightmare day at the office.