The London Broncos finished in fifth position at the end of the seven match qualifying series, earning themselves a place in the Million Pound Game and a trip to Canada to play Toronto Wolfpack, and the on-field season concluded with a sensational victory and promotion back to the European Super League, Rugby League's top flight in the Northern Hemisphere, for the 2019 season.
The Broncos begin the sponsored Betfred Championship season in fine style by winning their opening four fixtures, three of them at home.
Barrow Raiders are dispatched 56–12 on the season's opening day following a masterful man of the match display by James Meadows on debut, and following a hard-fought 12–0 away success at Dewsbury Rams, Eddie Battye and Jarrod Sammut the try scorers, two further home victories over traditional rivals, Featherstone Rovers and the much fancied Toronto Wolfpack see the London-based outfit top the early season table.
March
The month begins in freezing conditions, courtesy of the Beast from the East, which results in the Broncos' Round 5 fixture at Sheffield Eagles being postponed on 4 March.
The last Sunday of the month has the Broncos travelling north to Heywood Road, home of struggling Swinton Lions and the visitors record a thumping 64–18 win to reassert their authority at the top of the championship table. The twelve try rout sees a hat-trick for Alex Walker and doubles for Kieran Dixon and James Cunningham. James Meadows, Will Lovell and Lewis Bienek also grab four-pointers to further emphasis the growing influence of the London produced players while Tom Spencer and Ben Hellewell complete the scoring.
Good Friday sees the visit of Sylvain Houles' Toulouse Olympique, and despite an early score by captain, Jay Pitts, the hosts struggle in the extremely wet conditions and subside to a first league defeat of the campaign, the French side running out easy 36-16 victors.
April
In a precursor to the upcoming 5th round Ladbrokes Challenge Cup tie later in the month the Broncos complete their Easter programme at Leigh Centurions. A hard-fought encounter on Bank Holiday Monday in front of 3, 328 sees Danny Ward's men just come up short, tries from Elliot Kear, James Cunningham and Matty Gee not enough to prevent a second defeat inside four days as the improving hosts record a fourth straight championship victory.
Another tough day at the office ensued six days later, as a trip to Halifax R.L.F.C. results in a third defeat in as many games, the Broncos unable to take advantage of the hosts twice being reduced to 12 men in a feisty encounter, eventually losing 16–26 to Richard Marshall's Shaymen.
The Broncos in need of a return to winning ways, travelled to Rochdale Hornets on the following Friday and returned south with two valuable points. Kieran Dixon led the way with a treble added to by a Sadiq Adebiyi brace, scores sufficient to see the Broncos victorious 30–15 on an extremely wet evening at the Crown Oil Arena.
A return to Lancashire and the Leigh Centurions the following weekend proves less fruitful, a below par performance ends with the Londoners crashing out of the Ladbrokes Challenge Cup 0-40.
The month is completed with a comfortable eleven try home win over lowly Dewsbury Rams, the mercurial Jarrod Sammut contributing 29 points, three tries and ten goals in a 64-6 success.
May
The early May Bank holiday weekend has the Broncos play host to familiar foes, in the shape of Leigh Centurions, and despite a fantastic effort in sweltering conditions the home side fall to a third defeat by Kieron Purtill's Leigh Centurions team inside five weeks. An absorbing encounter in front of a season's best crowd to date of 1, 340 has the spectators on the edge of their seats, tries from Rhys Williams, Alex Walker, Matty Gee, James Meadows and Sadiq Adebiyi not quite enough to prevent a 30-40 reverse and a slide to fourth place in the Betfred Championship table.
The next two weekend's see the Broncos rack up 112 points in two victories over Sheffield Eagles, the first, the postponed Round 5 fixture. The month ends with a first defeat at the Summer Bash as Toulouse Olympique again prove too strong for the Broncos who lose 28–40 in sunny Blackpool, despite tries from Jarrod Sammut, captain Jay Pitts, Ben Evans and two from Rhys Williams.
London playing against the Toronto Wolfpack at Lamport Stadium in Canada
June
London warming up at Lamport Stadium in Canada
With a week off due to the Ladbrokes Challenge Cup quarter-finals the Broncos have time to re-group, ahead of their first ever trans-atlantic fixture at Betfred Championship leaders, Toronto Wolfpack. The hosts, backed by a crowd of 7, 384 are intent on avenging their only league defeat of the season back in February, and prove difficult opponents, tries from Jarrod Sammut and Elliot Kear unable to prevent a 12–32 loss, a result that sees the Broncos drop out of the top four.
Lowly Rochdale Hornets and Swinton Lions visit Trailfinders Sports Ground before month end, and Danny Ward's team regain their form with two impressive victories, a regular season's best 68–0 against the former, and an equally convincing 58–22 over the latter.
A third match up of the campaign against Toulouse Olympique sees the teams share forty points. In temperatures reaching 33c the Broncos fight back from 12 to 20 down to grab a point in the game's last quarter, an Eddie Battye try is converted by Kieran Dixon, who then kicks a 75th minute pressured penalty to secure a potentially vital point in France.
The Broncos host Halifax R.L.F.C. the following weekend, and in another tight encounter, the home side gain a narrow and important 20–18 win, courtesy of tries by the prolific Rhys Williams who crosses the whitewash twice, Alex Walker and Ben Evans. The result returns the Broncos to the top four ahead of a pivotal fixture away to third placed Featherstone Rovers seven days later, and despite trailing 0–7 at the break, the Broncos roar back in the second stanza, tries from Kieran Dixon, Jarrod Sammut and Alex Walker enough to earn a 14-7 come from behind victory.
The Broncos kick-off the Super League Qualifiers with a fixture at Widnes Vikings in front of the Thursday evening Sky Sports cameras. Trailing 0–6 at the break Danny Ward's men produce a stunning second half performance to earn a dramatic 21-20 come from behind victory. Mark Ioane crosses early in the second half to reduce the arrears, and despite falling 4-14 behind, 3 tries in nine minutes from Daniel Harrison and a Kieran Dixon double, the second a 70-metre interception, puts the Londoners 20-14 ahead. The hosts level in a tense finale, only for Jarrod Sammut to win it for the London Broncos with a long range field goal in the dying seconds of a riveting contest.
The Broncos entertain current Super League champions, Leeds Rhinos in Round 2, and a season's best home crowd of 1,904 witness an entertaining encounter with the Broncos registering 22 unanswered second half points, although these are not enough to prevent a 32–48 defeat. A brave effort sees Rhys Williams bag another brace while there is a first professional try for Daniel Hindmarsh. Kieran Dixon and Ben Hellewell also cross the chalk-line in their 100th appearances for the club.
Game 5 of the qualifiers campaign saw the London Broncos travel to familiar foes, Hull Kingston Rovers, and despite a gutsy display on Yorkshire's east coast, the Southerners came up short, on the wrong end of an 18–30 score line. The irrepressible Jarrod Sammut reached 20 tries for the season to draw the Londoners level early on, and although Matty Gee and Michael Channing added second half four pointers, these were not enough to secure the spoils for the Broncos who dropped out of the Million Pound Game positions as a consequence. The Broncos returned home to host Salford Red Devils seven days later, the match moved forward 24 hours at the behest of the Rugby Football League (RFL) to accommodate broadcast partner, Sky Sports' scheduling of the final round of fixtures the following week. In one of the most memorable games seen in the Capital in recent times, the Londoners emerged victorious 11-8 after a titanic battle against their Super League opponents. The heavens had opened mid morning and continued long into the night, but the inclement weather failed to deter captain, Jay Pitts who scored the home side's only try of the afternoon with a close-range effort after 14 minutes. Thereafter, a combination of heroic defence and the ever-reliable kicking boot of Jarrod Sammut, was enough to see Danny Ward’s team secure two crucial points, and leave their promotion aspirations very much alive with one game of the Super League Qualifiers, at home to Halifax, remaining.
Much conjecture during the week's build up to the final match had centred on whether the Londoners could qualify, and then secure a home fixture in the Million Pound Game. Results in the 48 hours preceding the contest would have a major bearing on the outcome and close challengers, Toulouse Olympique's loss at Salford Red Devils on the Thursday evening greatly improved the chances of Danny Ward’s men making the end of season finale, although Toronto Wolfpack’s stunning 17-16 success over fallen champions, Leeds Rhinos at Headingley a day later, meant the Londoners were almost certain to have to travel. The Broncos had to avoid an unlikely 24 point defeat at Trailfinders Sports Ground on the Saturday evening to ensure qualification, a feat they achieved as a Jarrod Sammut inspired display was enough to see the southern based outfit earn a come from behind victory. The triumph was not without a hiccup though as Richard Marshall’s valiant West Yorkshiremen raced into an early twelve point lead before tries from Jarrod Sammut and Éloi Pélissier prior to the interval, the latter with his first for the club, and second half efforts from Kieran Dixon and Elliot Kear secured a 23–18 win, fifth position in the final table and an away berth in the Million Pound Game. Destination of travel was confirmed 24 hours later, as Hull Kingston Rovers’s 30–0 triumph over already relegated Widnes Vikings ensured their Super League status, leaving the London Broncos searching for their passports ahead of a trip back to the land of the Maple Leaf for the third time in 2018 to play Paul Rowley's Toronto Wolfpack on Canada Thanksgiving Sunday.
The ever reliable Jarrod Sammut kicked a goal in each half to silence an overwhelming majority of a record 9, 266 franchise crowd, and although the hosts' Gareth O’Brien, hero for the Salford Red Devils in the same fixture in 2016, had managed to cancel out the Australian born Maltese International's first half effort, his attempt to level for a second time from distance in the 69th minute of an absorbing contest missed narrowly, and thereafter the Londoners held out in thrilling fashion to celebrate a tense and well deserved win to spark wild on-field celebrations in Canada, and off-field at the Trailfinders Sports Ground where supporters had watched the match live on a big screen in the main bar.
The month begins with the capture of Jordan Abdull from fellow Super League club, Hull FC, and Gideon Boafo signing his first full time professional contract with club after excelling with the London Broncos Academy.
The eagerly awaited 2019 Super League fixtures are released on the first Tuesday of the month, with the London Broncos scheduled to host Wakefield Trinity on the opening weekend of the new season.
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The Broncos played their first ever trans-atlantic fixture in the defeat by the Toronto Wolfpack.
The 68-0 drubbing of Rochdale Hornets was London's biggest win of the regular season, and largest ever points difference win in the Championship for the club.
The 72–6 victory over the Barrow Raiders represented the Broncos biggest ever away win in the Championship.
London Broncos finished the regular Championship season as runners up, and earned a place in the Super League Qualifiers.
The Broncos were the top points scorers in the Championship, scoring 907 points in their 23 regular season games, at an average of nearly 40 points per game.
London Broncos were this year's winners of the Project of the Year Award for Championship and League 1 for their alliance with Featherstone School Sports Partnership delivering programmes within primary schools in Ealing to improve numeracy and literacy and emotional and physical wellbeing. The Project of the Year award recognises a club across both leagues who has shown an outstanding commitment to meeting the objectives of raising the visibility and profile of the competition and increasing attendance at one or more games through a special project.
Matt Davies signed a one-year full time contract after featuring eight times for the London Broncos during the 2018 campaign whilst on an apprenticeship contract working with the London Rugby League Foundation and the Broncos Community programme.
Appearances and Points include (Betfred Championship, Ladbrokes Challenge Cup, Super League Qualifiers and the Million Pound Game) as of 8 October 2018.
7, Round 1 to Round 7 (The Round 5 away fixture at Sheffield Eagles on 4 March was postponed and rescheduled for later in the season). Includes the win at Workington Town in Challenge Cup Round 4
