MATCH PREVIEW: London Broncos vs Widnes Vikings
Jake Watson • 30 May 2025
MATCH PREVIEW: London Broncos vs Widnes Vikings
London Broncos move into Round 12 of the Championship season on Saturday when Widnes Vikings visit the Cherry Red Records Stadium.
Broncos come into this one in a poor run of form and take on a side placed 8th in the table and having lost their previous two league games.
For the full match preview read the article below.
THE SQUAD
Mike Eccles has named his 21-man squad for this weekend’s Championship clash with Widnes Vikings at The Cherry Red Records Stadium.
This week we welcome Louix Gorman and Lennie Ellis from Hull KR back into the group. Connor Barley completes the Robins trio but Barley is on a month long loan.
Jack Smith, a 20-year-old outside back from Leeds Rhinos joins the group as does 19-year old middle Kalum Rathbone from Wigan Warriors.
New signing Brandon Webster-Mansfield is set to join up with the squad next week meanwhile Connor O’Beirne and Lewis Bienek remain a couple of weeks away from a return to action.

INTERVIEW
London Broncos forward Sadiq Adebiyi is confident wins are just around the corner as we welcome Widnes Vikings to Wimbledon on Saturday.
The Broncos find themselves in a difficult run of form and are just one spot off the bottom in the Championship after 11 rounds of action.
Watch the full interview with Sid below and grab yourself half-price tickets on the video.
THE STATS
Last ten meetings:
London Broncos 52, Widnes 12 (ChR25, 10/9/23)
Widnes 18, London Broncos 26 (ChR13, 4/6/23)
Widnes 26, London Broncos 22 (ChR16, 26/6/22)
London Broncos 12, Widnes 34 (ChR1, 30/1/22)
Widnes 22, London Broncos 24 (ChR9, 13/6/21)
Widnes 12, London Broncos 38 (ChR3, 16/2/20)
Widnes 20, London Broncos 21 (S8Q-R1, 9/8/18)
Widnes 38, London Broncos 16 (S8Q-R6, 16/9/17)
London Broncos 24, Widnes 42 (SLR18, 28/6/14)
(at The Hive, Barnet)
Widnes 64, London Broncos 10 (SLR1, 16/2/14)
ALEX WALKER needs one try to reach 100 for his career.
- 82 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)
ONE TO WATCH
Jake Maizen is a new recruit for Widnes so little to go off on current form but he is a player that Widnes fans will be excited about after impressing during his time in the Championship with Whitehaven and Halifax.
The Italian Australian international is a versatile back who has signed an 18-month contract with Allan Coleman’s side.
PAST MEETINGS
London Broncos have won the last two meetings between the sides with the most recent a big win for the Broncos at The Cherry Red Records in 2023. It was a win that helped continue the fine form on the way to promotion via the Grand Final
Watch the highlights below.
#WeAreLondon
London Broncos welcome Widnes Vikings to The Cherry Red Records Stadium on May 31st and tickets are now available to buy - HERE!
Fans are encouraged to buy tickets for this game as you will have to wait until August 3rd for the next home fixture at The Cherry Red Records Stadium.
Tickets for this game are priced at;
Adults - £20
Concessions - £15
KIDS - £5

POST-MATCH: Mike Eccles post Batley victory Mike Eccles has praised his London Broncos side after a "professional" win away at Batley Bulldogs. The Broncos picked up their 7th win of the season with a 30-16 victory against the team directly below them in the table. Eccles held special praise for Ted Davidson with the London youngster playing just his second game for the first-team and impressing with a powerful performance. #WeAreLondon

TEAM NEWS: Batley Bulldogs vs London Broncos Here is your starting line-up for this afternoon's Championship fixture against Batley Bulldogs at The Fox's Biscuits Stadium. Brandon Webster-Mansfield returns from injury and is named as an interchange. Ethan Natoli is in the back row with Chris Hellec and Ted Davidson making up the centres. Lukas Mason starts and Jensen Monk also returns to the matchday squad. Alex Walker continues to captain the side in the place of Will Lovell who remains out with head knock protocol. #WeAreLondon
END OF SEASON AWARDS EVENING!! Join us for a special evening as we come together as One Club to celebrate the 2025 End of Season Awards on Wednesday 17th September. Hosted in the 1889 Lounge at the Cherry Red Records Stadium, doors open at 6:30pm with a buffet meal and sides included in every ticket plus sweet treats for dessert. The players are set to arrive at 7.30pm ahead of the awards ceremony beginning at 8:30pm. It’s your chance to mingle with players and staff from both the Men’s and Women’s teams, as we reflect on the season's achievements. Don’t miss this unforgettable night with the whole club! Please note: Tables will be allocated at random and a seating plan will be in place on the night. Please issue any dietary requirements and names allocated if purchasing multiple tickets to: Lynsey.Coleman@londonbroncosrl.com Keep scrolling for more tickets options.

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.