MATCH PREVIEW: London Broncos vs Batley Bulldogs
Jake Watson • 10 April 2025
MATCH PREVIEW: London Broncos vs Batley Bulldogs
London Broncos captain Will Lovell has previewed the Championship game on Saturday with Batley Bulldogs the visitors to The Cherry Red Records.
After the defeat to Featherstone Rovers in the 1895 Cup quarter-final last time out the group will be looking to bounce back and maintain the winning record at home in the league this season.
The weekend’s visitors come into the game directly under Broncos in the Championship table with the sides 9th and 10th respectively. Batley come into this weekend off the back of consecutive league defeats to Halifax Panthers and York Knights.
Will Lovell has played every minute in the Championship so far this season as he continues to show incredible durability and he says he is looking forward to being back at SW17 on Saturday.
Watch the full interview with Will below.
ONE TO WATCH - ELLIOT KEAR
London Broncos fans will need little introduction to the Welsh back Elliot Kear after playing for London Broncos 150 times between 2015-19.
Now aged 36 the Welshman is still very much playing and now wearing the colours of Batley Bulldogs after joining at the start of the 2023 season.
Comfortable in a variety of positions Kear is still a regular try scorer and will be one player in particular that the Broncos must keep an eye on.
THE STATS
LONDON BRONCOS v BATLEY BULLDOGS
Last ten meetings:
Batley 18, London Broncos 20 (ChR16, 25/6/23)
London Broncos 20, Batley 30 (ChR1, 5/2/23)
London Broncos 30, Batley 20 (ChR24, 21/8/22)
Batley 28, London Broncos 12 (ChR12, 22/5/22)
Batley 6, London Broncos 40 (ChR6, 15/5/21)
Batley 16, London Broncos 38 (ChR19, 1/7/18)
London Broncos 68, Batley 12 (ChR6, 11/3/18)
(at Trailfinders Sports Ground, Ealing)
London Broncos 58, Batley 4 (ChR23, 23/7/17)
(at Trailfinders Sports Ground, Ealing)
Batley 4, London Broncos 42 (ChR11, 17/4/17)
London Broncos 76, Batley 16 (S8Q-R2, 14/8/16)
(at Trailfinders Sports Ground, Ealing)
ALEX WALKER
needs two tries to reach 100 for his career.
- 81 for London Broncos (2014-2019, 2022-2025)
- 7 for Featherstone Rovers (2021, loan)
- 2 for Wakefield Trinity (2020-2021)
- 6 for London Skolars (2016, dual-registration)
- 2 for Scotland (2015, 2017, 2019, 2021-2022)
(0 for Hemel Stags, 2016, loan)
You can watch highlights of the victory against Batley, which was 9 years ago this week, on the link below.
Tickets for the game on Saturday are still available to buy - and you can do that HERE!
Prices are as follows;
Adult - £20
Concession - £15
Kids - £5
OR if you head over to the "REELS" section of the website you can access half-price adult tickets for the game this weekend.
Tickets for the "Broncos Bar" are also still available - watch the game from the best seat in the house with your own private bar
HERE!
MATCH HIGHLIGHTS: Toulouse vs London Broncos You can now watch back the extended highlights of the Championship fixture between Toulouse Olympique and London Broncos at the Stade Ernest-Wallon. Ethan Natoli, Huw Worthington and Connor Barley with the Broncos tries. #WeAreLondon
TOULOUSE GALLERY You can now take a look through the best images from the Championship clash with Toulouse at the State Ernest Wallon. Photo credit: David Gibson #WeAreLondon
POST-MATCH REACTION: Mike Eccles following narrow Toulouse defeat London Broncos Director of Rugby & Performance Mike Eccles felt that despite defeat in France to the league leaders Toulouse Olympic, it was a performance with "plenty of positives and lots to build on." The Broncos would twice take the lead in the first-half only to be pegged back on both occasions to go into the break 12-12 but a last minute try from Benjamin Laguerre would seal the points for Sylvain Houles side. Watch the full post-match interview with Mike Eccles below. #WeAreLondon
TEAM NEWS: Toulouse Olympique vs London Broncos Here is your starting line-up for this afternoon’s Championship with Toulouse at the Stade Ernest-Wallon. Brandon Webster-Mansfield comes in at centre to make his full debut and Connor O’Beirne returns to the starting line-up following injury. #WeAreLondon
MATCH PREVIEW: Toulouse Olympique vs London Broncos London Broncos head into one of the stand out fixtures of the season on Sunday when they make the trip to the south of France to take on Toulouse Olympique. Not only is it a visit to the side topping the Championship table but it is also the destination of one of the best days in the club's recent history. Securing promotion against Toulouse in 2023 was the last meeting between the two sides but despite the Broncos coming out on top that day it is the French who will be favourites on Sunday. Broncos come into this game on the back of a losing run but shoots of improvements were clear to see in the narrow defeat to Widnes last time out and will be boosted by the squad named. Squad Information Mike Eccles has named the 21-man travelling party for this weekend’s trip to Toulouse as Brandon Webster-Mansfield is named for the first time since arriving. Alongside Webster-Mansfield we also Liam Tindall and Connor O’Beirne return, coming as a huge boost for the squad. Sam Winney also returns to the 21 for the first time since breaking his jaw in the away game at Barrow. Jack Smith who is on dual registration from Leeds Rhinos also joins the group after scoring two tries on his debut for the club against Widnes Vikings. Lewis Bienek remains the only major absentee however it is hoped he will be fit for the next game at Hunslet.
MATCH PREVIEW: Mike Eccles looks ahead to Toulouse trip London Broncos Director of Rugby & Performance Mike Eccles has done his pre-match interview ahead of the trip to Toulouse and has offered a positive update. Liam Tindall and Connor O'Beirne are in contention to play following injuries and Lewis Bienek will hopefully be ready for the next game against Hunslet. Jack Smith, Connor Barley and Kian McDermott and Lukas Mason make up the rest of the squad. Watch the full interview with Mike below. #WeAreLondon
SQUAD ANNOUNCEMENT: Toulouse Olympique vs London Broncos Mike Eccles has named the 21-man travelling party for this weekend’s trip to Toulouse as Brandon Webster-Mansfield is named for the first time since arriving. Alongside Webster-Mansfield we also Liam Tindall and Connor O’Beirne return, coming as a huge boost for the squad. Sam Winney also returns to the 21 for the first time since breaking his jaw in the away game at Barrow. Jack Smith who is on dual registration from Leeds Rhinos also joins the group after scoring two tries on his debut for the club against Widnes Vikings. Lewis Bienek remains the only major absentee however it is hoped he will be fit for the next game at Hunslet. #WeAreLondon
TOULOUSE TRAINING GALLERY The final session with the squad before we fly out to Toulouse on Saturday ahead of Sunday's Championship clash at the State Ernest-Wallon. #WeAreLondon
Half-season Tickets now available!! London Broncos are delighted to announce half-season tickets for the remainder of the season which offer huge discounts on buying regular tickets for each game. With just 6 home games remaining a general admission adult season ticket costs just £60 which is a huge 100% saving on buying individual tickets for each game. Buy from the link below.
Who has played for both? Toulouse Olympique & London Broncos It’s pretty common when we do these articles that there are a number of current players playing for the opposition, but perhaps Sheffield Eagles and Toulouse Olympique win the record for the highest number this season. So, before you all guess these five, Toulouse have 5 players in the current squad who have featured for London Broncos; Paul Ulberg, Ollie Ashall-Bott, Greg Richards, Callum Gahan and Rob Butler. Let’s focus on some of the players that no longer don the colours of either side and their history with us both; Rhys Curran An Aussie born French international, Curran spent two seasons at London Broncos before hanging up his boots. Still residing in London you can regularly expect to see Rhys coming down to The Cherry Red Records to support his former teammates. However, he can count a number of the Toulouse players as former teammates as he spent a very fruitful four seasons playing for the club between 2016 and 2019 and prior to that he played in Elite VIII for Villeneuve. Through residency (living for three years in France) Curran would play three times for the French national team in 2018.
