MATCH REPORT: London Broncos 6-36 York Knights
Jake Watson • 4 May 2025
LONDON BRONCOS V YORK CITY KNIGHTS (by David Ballheimer)
London Broncos (6) 6, York City Knights (10) 36
London Broncos conceded four tries in 18 early second-half minutes which allowed York RL Knights to run away with the game at a cold and blowy Cherry Red Records stadium. The dismal chill that developed through the early evening was rather indicative of the London performance.
It all seemed very different in bright warm sunshine during the opening exchanges, and it was the Broncos who scored first, in the eighth minute. The possession went almost 100 metres starting with an excellent kick return by Chris Hellec. A penalty late in the possession essentially gave a repeat set, starting five metres from the York line and, a few tackles later, the ball was fed to the left wing, where Liam Tindall was able to squeeze over in the corner. Hellec’s conversion from the touchline was superb.
York’s first try, eight minutes later, came on a last-tackle kick which bounced between Hellec and Luke Polselli. The pair’s momentary hesitation was all it needed for Scott Galeano to steal the ball from between them and scoot to the line. Liam Harris could not improve the score.
The two teams rather cancelled each out over the next 20 minutes, but London twice made clean breaks. Unfortunately for the Broncos, on both occasions the ball-carrier was too quick for the supporting players and there was no one available to receive a pass to complete the move.
And it proved costly because just before half time. York fans will say it was a superb piece of play from the Knights; those from the Broncos would question the defending. Harris kicked towards the left corner, inside the London 10, and it was caught by Joe Law, surrounded by three Broncos.
Law somehow got the pass away and, after a moment’s hesitation, the ball was rapidly fed from left to right. The defensive line was broken and as the wide players came in to fill the gaps, Harris fired a long pass to the right wing, which allowed former Bronco Ben Jones-Bishop to touch down almost unchallenged. Harris made an excellent kick to stretch the Knights lead to 10–6.
The second half could hardly have started worse for the Broncos. First Jordan Thompson, at first receiver on the sixth tackle, dummied a pass to the left, switched direction and ran through a hole to touch down close to the left post and Harris kicked the conversion.
The restart went out on the full, so York were given a penalty on half-way and they marched downfield and completed the possession with Sam Cook burrowing under a couple of tacklers to score. Although they conceded a penalty, giving York more than six tackles, the Broncos’ defence was much better, and they did get the ball back. They, unfortunately, made a mess at the end of the possession and the Knights were able to move away from the danger.
Three York players stood out in the second half, Harris, Thompson and Paul McShane and it was the last two of these who started the move that led to Jones-Bishop completing his double, after 56 minutes, the last pass coming from Kieran Buchanan, who might have been able to touch down himself. Even with the gusty wind at his back, Harris’s conversion sailed wide.
The misery continued for the Broncos seven minutes later, Oli Field crashing over between three tacklers and the referee was happy the ball had been grounded. Harris did not make this kick. And it could have been much worse for the Broncos as York broke through the line three times, but they blew great scoring chances with a couple of errant passes and a misplaced kick.
Thompson and Harris had joined Ata Hingano on the bench for the final few minutes, but McShane was still out there, running and probing from hooker and he was involved in the move in the 77th minute which saw full-back Joe Brown score in the left corner. McShane, no stranger to kicking duties from his decade with the Castleford Tigers, kicked the conversion.
London Broncos: 6, Luke Polselli, 2 Chris Hellec, 20 Aaron Small, 14 Louix Gorman, 5 Liam Tindall, 1 Alex Walker, 27 Lennie Ellis. 12 Sadiq Adebiyi, 9 Curtis Davies, 16 Kian McDermott, 11 Will Lovell, 19 Lukas Mason, 13 Marcus Stock. Replacements: 8 Huw Worthington, 22 Matt Ross, 28 Jenson Binks, 33 Emmanuel Waine. 18th man: 18 Ben Hursey-Hord.
Tries: Tindall (7)
Goals: Hellec 1/1
Sin-bin: none
York Knights: 2 Joe Brown, 34 Ben Jones-Bishop, 3 Kieran Buchanan, 4 Joe Law, 35 Scott Galeano, 6 Ata Hingano, 7 Liam Harris, 8 Jack Martin, 9 Paul McShane, 24 Harvey Reynolds, 11 Jesse Dee, 12 Connor Bailey, 13 Jordan Thompson. Replacements: 19 Sam Cook, 20 Oli Field, 21 Connor Fitzsimmons, 31 Kieran Hudson. 18th man: 14 Taylor Pemberton.
Tries: Galeano (16), Jones-Bishop (37, 56), Thompson (45), Cook (48), Field (63), Brown (77)
Goals: Harris 3/6; McShane 1/1
Sin-bin: none
'LEGENDS LOUNGE' WITH LONDON BRONCOS Enjoy a matchday with London Broncos with the ultimate gameday experience in the 'Legends Lounge'. Watch the game from the best seat in the house and enjoy a hot pre-match meal with your own dedicated bar. With a drink on arrival and half-time teas and coffees you are also treated to an opportunity to meet a Broncos legend. On Saturday, May 3rd we welcomed former player Dave Williams to The Cherry Red Records Stadium where he spoke about his time in the club and why he is so passionate about the sport in London.
MATCH SPONSORS RESILIENT ROOFING Thank you very much to Resilient Roofing who were our big match sponsors for the game against York Knights on May 3rd. As part of their matchday experience the team enjoyed an afternoon at The Cherry Red Records Stadium with their own private box with dedicated hospitality. To find out more about Resilient Roofing - CLICK HERE!
MATCH HIGHLIGHTS: London Broncos vs York Knights You can now watch back extended highlights from the Round 9 Championship clash between London Broncos and York Knights at The Cherry Red Records Stadium. #WeAreLondon
MATCH GALLERY: London Broncos vs York Knights You can now take a look through the best images from Saturday's Championship clash with York Knights at The Cherry Red Records Stadium. We would welcome back Dave Williams as our special guest in the Legends Lounge and we thank our Match Sponsors Resilient Roofing for their support. #WeAreLondon
POST MATCH REACTION: Mike Eccles following York defeat London Broncos Director of Rugby & Performance Mike Eccles has said there will still plenty of positives despite falling to defeat to York at The Cherry Red Records Stadium. Broncos took the lead in the first half through Liam Tindall but wouldn't score again as York would run out comfortable 36-6 winners. Despite the scoreline Eccles says there are positives and says the team will keep working to turnaround the run of results. #WeAreLondon
TEAM NEWS: London Broncos vs York Knights Here is your starting line-up for this afternoon's Round 9 Championship clash with York Knights at The Cherry Red Records Stadium. There are four changes to the team that lost to Halifax last week as Aaron Small, Lennie Ellis, Kian McDermott and Lukas Mason all come into start. Jenson Binks returns to the matchday squad but Lewis Bienek misses out with injury. #WeAreLondon
MATCHDAY GUIDE
MATCH PREVIEW: London Broncos vs York Knights London Broncos welcome Championship rivals York Knights to The Cherry Red Records Stadium on Saturday afternoon looking to put a stop to a run of three consecutive defeats. On the other side York have won 5 of their previous 6 games with the only defeat coming against Featherstone in a tightly contested affair being decided by just two points. For the Broncos they have performed strongly at home with the only home defeat coming against Batley who scored a try in the last moments of the game to steal the points. The 21-man squad selected by Mike Eccles is available below. Jenson Binks returns to the squad after missing the defeat to Halifax under HIA protocol in a welcome boost. Meanwhile, Lukas Mason & Kian McDermott return from Wigan Warriors after being unavailable for the previous few games. Emmanuel Waine plays the second game of his two week loan and Lennie Ellis joins Louix Gorman is coming from Hull KR and goes straight into the 21. Lennie Ellis is a 19-year-old half and hooker who made his first team debut against Wigan Warriors in 2023. Last season he played on loan in the Championship with Whitehaven and earlier this season played for Goole in League One.
WHO HAS PLAYED FOR BOTH? London Broncos & York Knights London Broncos play host to York Knights on Saturday but can you tell me what players that have had both clubs play host to them? We have picked out some to have played for both in recent years but can you add any more to the list below? SAM DAVIS A London Broncos academy product, the Leicester born hooker has enjoyed two spells in the capital, sandwiched either side of a spell in the yellow and black of York. Davis played for London between 2016-2021 before moving to York signing a two year deal, however injuries meant he never really settled and rejoined London in 2023 initially on loan before signing permanent terms. Following relegation from Super League at the end of the 2024 season Davis would move to Salford however financial issues there has meant Davis has once again signed dual-registration terms. So, whilst it won’t be this weekend we could see more of Sammy in a Broncos jersey in the future.
SQUAD ANNOUNCEMENT: London Broncos vs York Knights Mike Eccles has named his 21-man squad to face York Knights on Saturday (5pm KO) at The Cherry Red Records Stadium. Jenson Binks returns to the squad after missing the defeat to Halifax under HIA protocol in a welcome boost. Meanwhile, Lukas Mason & Kian McDermott return from Wigan Warriors after being unavailable for the previous few games. Emmanuel Waine plays the second game of his two week loan and Lennie Ellis joins Louix Gorman in coming from Hull KR and goes straight into the 21. Lennie Ellis is a 19-year-old half and hooker who made his first team debut against Wigan Warriors in 2023. Last season he played on loan in the Championship with Whitehaven and earlier this season played for Goole in League One.
