MATCH REPORT: London Broncos 20-21 Leeds Rhinos
LONDON BRONCOS V LEEDS RHINOS (by David Ballheimer)
London Broncos (12) 20, Leeds Rhinos (14) 21 (golden point)
London Broncos suffered one of their most heartbreaking defeats in recent memory as Brodie Croft dropped a goal with barely 70 seconds of golden point overtime remaining. The game was absolutely, edge-of-the-seat enthralling, played in front of the second-highest crowd of the season in glorious energy-sapping sunshine, even if the error-count was far too high for it to be considered a classic. Most galling, however, was the fact that a conversion from Oli Leyland and a field goal from Jack Campagnolo crashed off the post or crossbar.
The Broncos, aided by a penalty, made the perfect start, scoring in the sixth minute, Campagnolo dummying a last tackle kick to squirm through the Leeds line and stretching over the line. Leyland added the extras from almost in front of the posts.
Leeds were quick to reply, a lovely kick from Brodie Croft was snaffled by Rhyse Martin and he ran behind the uprights to make his conversion automatic. He was in the same place 15 minutes later, to kick a penalty after a high tackle, but the Rhinos had failed to take three good try-scoring opportunities.
Both teams were guilty of wasting opportunities, but Leeds made no mistake in the 34th minute when Matt Frawley kicked into space and although Martin looked to be slightly offside, the video referee was satisfied he wasn’t, and Martin completed his double and took his personal tally to 14 points with his third kick.
When Leeds knocked on just inside their ten-metre line with less than two minutes remaining, London had the last scoring chance of the half and they took full toll, Emmanuel Waine lifting the ball away from a Rhinos defender after a Campagnolo grubber kick and he scored behind the posts, allowing Leyland to make it a two-point game at half-time.
Waine and Hakim Miloudi were both denied tries by the video referee on the Broncos’ first possession of the second half the former ruled held up in goal, instead of tackled short of the line and the latter grounded the ball on the sideline, much to his chagrin. There is no doubt that the first review was routine, but the second – judging by both teams’ reaction – seemed less clear-cut.
When Leeds made a mess of their next possession on their own 15, the Broncos had another great chance to take the lead, but they failed to take advantage. The Rhinos then had a try disallowed because Cameron Smith lost the ball as he tried to ground it. Back to the other end, and a third London score was chalked off as Josh Rourke was ruled offside as he chased a Leyland kick, caught it and touched down. It was a desperately tight call.
London would not be denied however a few minutes later as a long pass from Campagnolo picked out Lee Kershaw and he dived over in the corner. For the fifth time in 16 minutes, the referee sent the decision to the bunker, only this time there was never a hint of a foot in touch, or a dropped ball, or held up in goal. Leyland couldn’t add the extras, so the London lead was only two.
The Broncos continued to probe and search for the opening that might have stretched the lead. Instead, with 16 minutes remaining, Martin ran onto a short pass, crashed through a tackle and ran behind the posts to give him a hat-trick, again confirmed by video review, and he took his personal game – and Leeds’ – tally to 20.
After leaking tries in the last 20 minutes of the previous two home games, this never looked likely on this day. Maybe the heat led to sweaty hands, resulting in so much dropped ball. The Broncos battered the Leeds line but took wrong options on a couple of occasions.
However, five minutes from the final hooter, Leeds lost the ball inside the London half, but as it was a knock-on, the Broncos had a seven-tackle set. A pass to the wing sent Kershaw clear. Leeds’ cover defence came across and the winger was pushed into touch, except before his body touched the whitewash or the ground outside the line, he had rolled the ball backwards.
Fastest to react was Ethan Natoli and, after cleanly picking up the ball, he dived over the line. The video referee took an absolute age to rule on the decision. Leeds thought they had succeeded in forcing Kershaw out, but another angle suggested the ball was still live. Eventually, the scoreboard flashed “Try” and it was left to Leyland, from close to touch to give the Broncos a late, late lead, but the conversion crashed off the near post and bounced away.
There was still time for Leyland to try a last-minute drop goal to win the game, but the ball drifted wide, and Leeds were happy to run out the last 15 seconds to set up golden point. The tension in the opening period was palpable, but Broncos were not only stronger and more daring, but also more dangerous. Leeds’ best play of the first five minutes was their rush to disrupt another Leyland drop-goal attempt.
The second period of overtime followed the first and the Broncos’ first possession, thanks to bullocking runs from Lewis Bienik and Sid Adebiyi, the drive got to 35 metres short of the Leeds line on the last tackle. Matt Davis passed back to Campagnolo, who drilled a field goal almost on a straight line straight at the crossbar. Two centimetres higher and the Broncos would have celebrated a famous victory … but it wasn’t and the ball crashed off the crossbar. Bienik, who must have been at least five metres offside, but wasn’t penalised, gathered the ball and was tackled.
In the post-match press room the question was asked if anyone had seen a field goal attempt hit the crossbar so hard it rebounded towards the 20-metre line. I cast my mind back to spring 1994, when at Barnet Copthall Stadium, John Gallagher (who played for both Leeds and London after winning a rugby union World Cup with New Zealand) tried a last-play 45-metre drop goal against Workington, with the game tied at 20–20, A London player grabbed the rebound and dived between the posts, only to discover that he had been in an offside position when Gallagher took his kick. What was the score at the Cherry Red Records Stadium? 20–20!
Leeds did nothing with the possession and the next time London had the ball, Leyland was narrowly wide left with his drop goal attempt. This gave Leeds a seven-tackle set and, only the last play, from about 35 metres out, Croft sent his field goal straight and true between the posts and Leeds recorded a victory not as a great achievement, but with an air of embarrassment.
All across the London half of the pitch, Broncos players lay prostrate on the ground. This was a truly heart-breaking, utterly underserved defeat. After the game, coach Mike Eccles offered no opinion on the golden point method of deciding draws, or on the fairer conclusion that sees the losing team in golden point earning a championship point, but both teams deserve a point if they cannot be separated after 80 minutes.
London Broncos: 23 Josh Rourke, 2 Lee Kershaw, 12 Ethan Natoli, 3 Jarred Bassett, 4 Hakim Miloudi, 20 Oli Leyland, 6 Jack Campagnolo, 19 Rhys Kennedy, 9 Sam Davis, 8 Rob Butler, 11 Will Lovell, 17 Sadiq Adebiyi, 15 Marcus Stock. Replacements: 10 Lewis Bienek, 18 Emmanuel Waine, 29 Jacob Jones, 34 Ugo Tison. 18th man: 21 Robbie Storey
Tries: Campagnolo (6), Waine (40), Kershaw (56), Natoli (75).
Goals: Leyland 2/4
Sin-bin: None
Leeds Rhinos: 1 Lachie Miller, 2 David Fusitu’a, 4 Paul Momirovski, 3 Harry Newman, 29 Alfie Edgell, 6 Brodie Croft, 7 Matt Frawley, 15 Sam Lisone, 9 Andy Ackers, 17 Justin Sangare, 16 James McDonnell, 12 Rhyse Martin, 13 Cameron Smith. Replacements: 11 James Bentley, 14 Jarrod O’Connor, 25 James Donaldson, 30 Tom Nicholson-Watton. 18th man: 21 Jack Sinfield,
Tries: Martin (11, 34, 64)
Goals: Martin 4/4
Field goal: Croft (89)
Sin-bin: None
Referee: Marcus Griffiths
HT: 12–14
Penalty awarded count: 8–8
Attendance: 4,403
MATCH HIGHLIGHTS:
