HIGHLIGHTS: London Broncos vs Doncaster RLFC

MATCH PREVIEW: Batley Bulldogs vs London Broncos It's the penultimate away league game of the season on Saturday as we make the trip to Batley Bulldogs. It's 11th vs 10th at the Fox's Biscuits Stadium (3pm KO) with both sides now guaranteed to be in bottom four irrespective of the results in the final three games. Batley come into this game off the back of a resounding win away at Hunslet and off the back off announcing James Ford will be the new head coach for the 2026 season. SQUAD INFO Mike Eccles has named his 21-man squad for the Championship trip to Batley Bulldogs on Saturday (3pm KO). Will Lovell remains unavailable after suffering from a concussion in the game at York and Sadiq Adebiyi is also unavailable after receiving a head knock in last week's game against Oldham. However, in good news Brandon Webster-Mansfield returns to the squad after injury and Lukas Mason is available on dual-registration from Wigan Warriors.

PREVIEW: Mike Eccles looks ahead to Batley trip London Broncos Director of Rugby and Performance Mike Eccles has said he's disappointed that the "middle eights" won't be happening this season as he wanted his team to finish on a high. The RFL confirmed on Wednesday that the season will now end after 27 games with no relegation/promotion play-offs between League One and the Championship. Both Broncos and Batley are certain to finish inside the bottom four of the Championship but the game will now simply be a fixture between 11th and 12th place in the division. However, with James Ford now announced as Batley's Head Coach for next season, Mike Eccles says both teams will now begin plans for next season. #WeAreLondon

SQUAD ANNOUNCEMENT: Batley Bulldogs vs London Broncos Mike Eccles has named his 21-man squad for Championship trip to Batley Bulldogs on Saturday (3pm KO). Will Lovell remains unavailable after suffering from a concussion in the game at York and Sadiq Adebiyi is also unavailable after receiving a head knock in last week's game against Oldham. However, in good news Brandon Webster-Mansfield returns to the squad after injury and Lukas Mason is available on dual-registration from Wigan Warriors. #WeAreLondon

RFL STATEMENT: New format outside Betfred Super League in 2026 The RFL Board have confirmed that the Betfred Championship and League One competitions will be combined in a single division outside the Betfred Super League in 2026. This follows the decision to expand Super League from 12 clubs to 14, subject to conditions – which was taken by the existing Super League clubs last month. A number of fixture formats are being developed following consultation with the Championship and League One clubs, but there will be no final announcement until after the number and identity of clubs in each of the two expanded competitions is confirmed, on Thursday October 16. However the reversion to a single division outside Super League means the Middle Eights that had been scheduled for the end of the 2025 season, as a means of determining promotion and relegation between Championship and League One, will no longer take place. The Betfred League One champions will receive £25,000, a trophy and medals, as promised at the start of the season. North Wales Crusaders are currently top of the table, and could clinch the title if they beat Keighley Cougars in Colwyn Bay this Sunday. The Betfred Championship Play-Offs will still take place, with the winners of the Betfred Championship Grand Final receiving £100,000 and 0.25 club grading points. There are three rounds of the regular season remaining, with York Knights currently four points clear at the top of the table – although Bradford Bulls and Toulouse Olympique, who are currently joint second, each have a match in hand and face each other at Bartercard Odsal Stadium this Saturday. Nigel Wood OBE, who has chaired the Strategic Review, said: “Following the decision of the Betfred Super League clubs that the elite competition should expand to 14 clubs in 2026, subject to conditions, this is a logical and equally exciting next step. “The Championship and League One clubs have been extensively consulted and were virtually unanimous that the two divisional structure for the part time game wasn’t working as well as it ought, particularly League One - and it is a great credit to the Championship clubs that they recognised that position. “There are so many historic and ambitious clubs outside the Super League, and we believe this will not only enhance their attendances and finances, but also make them more attractive for investment. “It will provide an attractive and compelling fixture list for all clubs outside the Betfred Super League – and mean they all kick off the 2026 season with the opportunity to win the Betfred Championship, which will remain a key step towards earning promotion to the Super League.” Ends…

CLUB STATEMENT London Broncos can confirm we are one of the 12 clubs who have lodged an interest in joining the proposed expansion of Betfred Super League to 14 clubs in 2026. We are currently in the process of putting together a strong presentation that will be submitted by the September 12th deadline with the outcome announced on October 16th #WeAreLondon

GAMEWEEK: Batley Bulldogs vs London Broncos It's the penultimate away league game of the season on Saturday as we make the trip to Batley Bulldogs. It's 11th vs 10th at the Fox's Biscuits Stadium (3pm KO) with both sides now guaranteed to be in bottom four irrespective of the results in the final three games. Batley come into this game off the back of a resounding win away at Hunslet and off the back off announcing James Ford will be the new head coach for the 2026 season. Tickets for this game can be bought from the link below! Keep scrolling for tickets for the final home league game of the season on September 6th. 

Open trial for U17-U19s on 14 Sep to join the London Broncos Women Talent Pathway

MATCH REPORT: LONDON BRONCOS V OLDHAM RLFC (by David Ballheimer) London Broncos (12) 18, Oldham RLFC (8) 20 London Broncos suffered their fourth two-point home defeat of the season despite a truly magnificent defensive performance, especially in the second half. It did not help that London made three handling errors inside their own 10-metre zone, none of which were punished. It was London who enjoyed the bulk of the early territorial battle but when Huw Worthington was ruled held up in goal after seven minutes it was the first time either team had gone remotely close to scoring. Oldham appeared to be out of sorts; their recent influx of players meant they probably had not had much time on the training field to get to know each other’s style of play. They didn’t help their cause by committing two late-hit penalties in three minutes. The second one, a shot on Connor O’Beirne as he kicked, led to the opening score. In the 15th minute, Sadiq Adebiyi was able to burst through a couple of tacklers to ground the ball and Jack Smith turned four points into six. For all of the opening quarter, it was London who held the upper hand, but Oldham’s first attack showed menace although it ended tamely just inside the Broncos’ 20. This did signal a shift in the balance of play and the Roughyeds started to win the territorial battle.

HIGHLIGHTS: London Broncos vs Oldham RLFC You can now watch back highlights of the Round 23 Championship fixture between London Broncos and Oldham RLFC at the Cherry Red Records. Keep scrolling for tickets for the final home league game of the season on September 6th.