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
Matchday Guide: London Broncos vs Barrow Raiders We are excited to be able to share the matchday guide with you for our match on Sunday to ensure you have the best possible experience backing the Broncos against Barrow Raiders at The Cherry Red Records Stadium. Important times to note: 13:00- Hospitality opens 13:30 – Gates open 15:00- London Broncos vs Barrow Raiders KO 15:40- London Broncos vs Barrow Raiders HT 16:35- London Broncos vs Barrow Raiders FT 17:30 – Hospitality Last Orders 18:00 – Hospitality Closes
WATCH US LIVE! London Broncos vs Barrow Raiders Can't join us at The Cherry Red Records on Sunday? Don't worry, we've got you covered! Watch the game from the comfort of your own home from the link below.
MATCH PREVIEW: London Broncos vs Barrow Raiders London Broncos return to The Cherry Red Records on Sunday for the first time since the game with Widnes Vikings on May 31st. Mike Eccles side now have four remaining home league games in Wimbledon and are calling on the support of our fantastic supporters to help us finish the season strongly. Broncos have won three of the last five games whilst Barrow have two wins from their previous five. The Cumbrian side are in the fight for a play-off place with just one point separating 8th and 5th positions. SQUAD INFO Mike Eccles has named his 21-man squad for Sunday's Round 20 Championship fixture with Barrow Raiders at The Cherry Red Records Stadium. The only change from the squad from last weekend's trip to Featherstone is the inclusion of Charlie Robson who has joined the club following a successful trial. Sam Winney drops out although he is on international duty with Ireland.
SQUAD ANNOUNCEMENT: London Broncos vs Barrow Raiders Mike Eccles has named his 21-man squad for Sunday's Round 20 Championship fixture with Barrow Raiders at The Cherry Red Records Stadium. The only change from the squad from last weekend's trip to Featherstone is the inclusion of Charlie Robson who has joined the club following a successful trial. Sam Winney drops out although he is on international duty with Ireland.
CHARLIE ROBSON JOINS BRONCOS London Broncos can announce winger Charlie Robson has joined the club. The 23-year-old is a Rugby Union convert after playing for Harlequins and Coventry before deciding to pursue opportunities in League.
2 FOR 1 TICKET OFFER!! London Broncos are pleased to announce a fantastic ticket initiative for our upcoming home games with Oldham RLFC and Bradford Bulls. As we look to finish the season as strongly as possible we are encouraging our supporters to get down to The Cherry Red Records in their numbers to get behind the team. For all supporters who buy a ticket for our last home game against Bradford on September 6th between now and 18th August you will receive a FREE ticket for our home game against Oldham RLFC.
Iliess Macani in the Legends Lounge! London Broncos are delighted to announce Iliess Macani will be our special guest for the upcoming home game against Toulouse Olympique on August 10th (1pm KO). The Tottenham born winger played 140 times for the club scoring 68 tries - ranking him 8th all time for the club.
IT'S GAMEWEEK!! London Broncos return to The Cherry Red Records on Sunday for the first time since the game with Widnes Vikings on May 31st. Mike Eccles side now have four remaining home league games in Wimbledon and are calling on the support of our fantastic supporters to help us finish the season strongly. Hospitality tickets for the 'Legends Lounge' & 'Broncos Bar' can be purchased from the link below.
HIGHLIGHTS: Featherstone Rovers vs London Broncos London Broncos travelled up to Featherstone Rovers in a Championship fixture between two of the in-form sides in the division. To watch back full extended highlights of the game watch the video below or head to our YouTube channel to watch the full game back.
EMILIA'S BIG DAY It's not long now until we welcome Emilia and DKMS to The Cherry Red Records Stadium for her big day! - London Broncos will host ‘Emilia’s Big Day’ to celebrate young cancer survivor whose life was saved by a stem cell donor. - Supporters can join the stem cell donor register with a simple mouth swab - This is part of a partnership with DKMS : inspired by lifelong rugby league fan whose baby son needed a stem cell transplant. ‘Emilia’s Big Day’ is a major peak in a partnership between Broncos and DKMS, which encourages rugby fans to become potential lifesavers by joining the stem cell donor register. Emilia Mackay, 7, was just 5 years old when she was diagnosed with aplastic anaemia, a rare and life-threatening blood disorder, and required weekly blood and platelet transfusions just to survive. Doctors said that she needed a stem cell transplant, but unfortunately, no one in her family was a match, so a global search began to find a stranger who could save her life. Emilia’s dad, James Mackay, says, “As a parent, my child being diagnosed with such a serious illness was my worst nightmare. When we knew that Emilia’s future would rely on someone from the stem cell donor register, it was terrifying.” Fortunately for Emilia, a stranger in Germany had signed up to the DKMS donor register and was identified as a match. They agreed to donate their stem cells, which were then flown to the UK before being quickly transferred to the hospital where Emilia was being cared for. Emilia is now in remission, and since her transplant at the end of 2023, she has been thriving. James says, “Emilia’s donor changed everything for us. It’s obviously very emotional; the kindness of a random stranger means that my daughter has been given another chance at life. We’re so happy that she is well enough to do the things she loves, and that we can attend rugby games as a family. We are so excited for the event with Broncos and DKMS -- we won’t just be celebrating Emilia, we’ll also be adding more people to the register so that more patients like her can get a second chance at life”.
