In depth- Hull KR vs London Broncos (Betfred Super League Round 19)

LONDON BRONCOS V BRADFORD BULLS (by David Ballheimer) London Broncos (12) 24, Bradford Bulls (10) 34 London Broncos ended their 2025 home season with a defeat against Bradford Bulls, blown away by 40 minutes of power, strength and not a little skill. The Bulls, easily the physically biggest team the Broncos have faced this season, were completely outplayed for the first 35 minutes, when London might reasonably have hoped for a three- or four-try lead. In the eighth minute, the Bulls made a handling error inside their 10 and their desperate defence went too far as they were penalised for a ball-strip two metres from their line. This time, the Broncos made Bradford pay, Luke Polselli taking a short Connor O’Beirne pass and running through a large hole in the defence. Jack Smith, as he would do after every try, added the extras. Polselli figured frequently in attack, unfortunately knocking on five metres away from a second score, but then delivering a superb grubber kick that he almost reached, but Jayden Okunbor touched down moments before the London No.6. It led to a goal-line dropout which the Bulls were able to defend. Quite how much Bradford were struggling was shown by head coach Brian Noble, who worked as a mentor with the Broncos player-head coach Andrew Henderson at The Hive in 2015, came down to pitch-side to deliver tactical and technical advice first-hand. In the 26th minute, London again applied pressure on the Bulls line and, from dummy half, Brandon Webster-Mansfield burrowed under the markers for London’s second score. A third Broncos score before half-time might have put the game beyond Bradford’s reach. Instead, the Bulls made a key substitution, sending on the veteran Chris Hill. The prop, a winner of 41 international caps for England and Great Britain and almost 400 games in Super League, made it a personal crusade to offload every time he carried the ball. The game’s turning point came with a 35th-minute penalty to Bradford just inside London’s half. A kick inside the 20 gave the Bulls all the territory they required, especially when they got a repeat set of tackles. After a couple of carry-ups, the ball was sent to the left where Guy Armitage, given his chance in rugby league by the Broncos, forced his way over. 

POST-MATCH: Mike Eccles following final home game of the season Watch the post-match interview from Mike Eccles following the final game of the 2025 season at The Cherry Red Records Stadium. In a wide ranging interview Mike discusses the result but also the plans moving forward for the club. #WeAreLondon

TEAM NEWS: London Broncos vs Bradford Bulls Here is your starting line up for this afternoon's final home game of the 2025 Championship season. Will Lovell and Sadiq Adebiyi return to the starting 13 after injury and Brandon Webster Mansfield starts after being an unused interchange last weekend. Ben Hursey-Hord also makes the 17 after being unavailable last week and Ted Davidson keeps a place in the matchday squad after impressing on full debut against Batley. #WeAreLondon

MATCHDAY GUIDE - EMILIA’S BIG DAY We are excited to be able to share the matchday guide with you for our match on Saturday to ensure you have the best possible experience backing the Broncos against Bradford Bulls. Important times to note: 14:00- Gates open. 14:00 – Hospitality opens 16:00- London Broncos vs Bradford KO CIRCA 16:40- London Broncos vs Bradford HT CIRCA 17:35- London Broncos vs Bradford FT 18:30 – Hospitality Last Orders 19:00 – Hospitality Closes 21:00 - Pub Closes

The Rugby Football League has confirmed an important update regarding promotion to the Betfred Women’s Super League. Following Warrington Wolves’ withdrawal from the competition for the remainder of the 2025 season, the scheduled Promotion Play-Off between the bottom-placed Super League side and the winner of the Northern Women’s Championship will no longer take place. Instead, the winner of the Northern Women’s Championship will be promoted directly into the Betfred Women’s Super League for the 2026 season, subject to meeting minimum competition standards. For London Broncos Women, this creates a historic opportunity. Should the team win the Northern Championship, we would secure promotion to the top flight for the first time in our history – and become the first ever Southern-based club to compete in the Betfred Women’s Super League. Head Coach Colin Baker (sponsored by The Craig Family) shared his thoughts: “As both a coach and a supporter of the women’s game, it’s always disappointing to see another club face difficulties. While this situation has created an opportunity for promotion, nothing really changes for us at London Broncos. Our focus remains the same – to earn the right to compete in the Betfred Women’s Super League. That’s the challenge we’ve set ourselves, and that’s what we’ll continue to work towards.” London Broncos begin their play-off campaign in the semi-final against Salford Red Devils on Sunday 14th September at Chiswick RFC. #WeAreLondon

It’s that time of the year when you get to vote for your 2025 Fan’s Player of the Year for the Men’s and Women’s teams!

MATCH PREVIEW: London Broncos vs Bradford Bulls It is the final home game of the season on Saturday as we welcome Bradford Bulls to The Cherry Red Records for Emilia's Big Day in partnership with DKMS. The Bulls are still fighting it out for the Championship title so will come into this game looking for another two points. For the Broncos it's an opportunity to sign off on a high after a challenging season which has continued to see improvements week on week. SQUAD INFO Mike Eccles has named his squad for the final home game of the season to face Bradford Bulls at The Cherry Red Records on Saturday. It is a very similar squad to last weekend however both Sadiq Adebiyi and Will Lovell return after missing the win over Batley through HIA protocols but both are cleared to play this weekend.

MATCH PREVIEW: Connor O'Beirne looks ahead to Emilia's Big Day Ahead of the final home game of the season Connor O'Beirne believes despite Bradford's superior league position they go into the game full of confidence. Cast your mind back to the opening back of the season it was a trip to Odsal for Mike Eccles' side - a team that had only played once together prior, a defeat to League One Goole Vikings. Broncos would show great potential and would lead Bradford at half-time. Ultimately it was Bradford who took the points but there were a number of positives - including the debut of Connor O'Beirne who instantly showed his ability to step up to The Championship. Watch the full interview with Connor as he discusses his first season in England and the excitement ahead of Saturday's game.

Emilia’s Big Day - WHAT’S GOING ON? We are set for a busy and exciting day on Saturday as we welcome Bradford Bulls to The Cherry Red Records for the final home game of the 2025 season. The game will be celebrated as Emilia’s Big Day and is in partnership with blood cancer charity DKMS. Once you arrive into the ground from General Admission you enter into the Fanzone where DKMS stands will be with information and swabbing opportunities. Key Timings; 2pm – Gates Open for general attendance and hospitality 2-3pm - Happy hour in Phoenix Pub 2-4pm - Fanzone activities 3:55pm – Emilia to walk the ball out with players with the Brass Band 4pm: Kick Off 4:40pm – Junior Awards by Foundation in front of East Stand