With Halifax already out of the running for promotion to Super League, their task was to try and deny London Broncos the result which would guarantee them a place in the Million Pound Game next weekend.
A loss by less than twenty-five points would be enough to see them finish fifth, and be the away side in the play-off, but a win of sixteen or more would put them into fourth spot and have them praying for a Widnes Vikings victory over Hull KR on Sunday afternoon to give them the home advantage.
Danny Ward had his troops well drilled for the game and intended to increase Halifax’s Qualifiers misery by keeping them winless in seven.
Halifax did well to thwart the early London onslaught and on eleven minutes Ben Kaye picked up the ball from acting half-back and lunged under the markers to ground on the line. The referee sent the decision upstairs and the video referee adjudged a ‘TRY’. Steve Tyrer added the extras for a 6-0 lead.
Two minutes later Tyrer collected Scott Murrells cross-field kick as he rose above the Broncos defenders to twist our of the tackle and drop over the line. He converted his own try for a 12-0 lead, the unthinkable was happening to the Broncos.
With nineteen minutes on the closk Jarrod Sammut stepped out of three attempted tackles and scored by the left upright to get London underway. He added the extras to half the Halifax lead.
It took just three minutes for London’s second after a strong Daniel Hindmarsh run saw him close before Eloi Pelissier picked up the ball from a fast play the ball to dove over the line. Sammut was again accurate with the boot for 12-12. The Broncos had been given a wake-up call and had responded by pulling on their work boots.
On twenty-six Adam Tangata did brilliantly to crawl and then stretch for the line to ground under a heap of London players for the third Halifax try of the evening. Tyrer was unable to add the extras but the visitors were back in the lead, a lead that they would hold until the half-time interval.
It took eighteen minutes of the second half for London to level the scores when Sammut collected a Kieran Dixon knock-down of his own kick and offloaded brilliantly to Dixon to pick up the ball and summersault over the line. Sammut nailed the conversion between the uprights and the Broncos had the lead for the first time.
Elliot Kear hit the Halifax line off a Matty Gee pass to throw the dummy left before stepping inside to score. Sammut failed to add the conversion, the home side just six points ahead.
Brandon Moore was sin-binned on seventy-two for something he said to the referee, ‘Fax down to twelve for the remainder but London could only add a dying seconds Sammut drop goal to seal a 23-16 win.
London had a bit if a scare early on but dug deep and kept their calm to come from behind and win the game. They didn’t amass enough points to lift themselves to fourth but did guarantee themselves a sudden death chance of promotion in the Million Pound Game. London and their supporters will have to hope that Widnes can beat Hull KR by ten points or more tomorrow to give them home advantage in the play-offs, otherwise they will be going to Hull, or more likely Toronto, next Sunday for the crucial last game of the season.
Broncos: Walker, Dixon (T), Hellewell, Kear (T), Williams, Pitts, Sammut (T, 3G, DG), Evans, Pelissier (T), Ioane, Hindmarsh, Gee, Battye . Subs: Lovell, Spencer, Adebiyi, Davies.
Halifax: Woodburn-Hall, Moss, Tyrer (T, 2G), Heaton, Sharp, Murrell, Johnstone, Fleming, Kaye (T), Fairbank, Tangata (T), Butler, Moore (SB on 72). Subs: Curtis Davies, Connor Davies, Cooper, Douglas.
Referee: Gareth Hewer.
Half-Time: 12-16.
Full-Time: 23-16.
Attendance: .
