MATCH REPORT: LONDON BRONCOS VS CASTLEFORD TIGERS

LONDON BRONCOS V CASTLEFORD TIGERS (by David Ballheimer)

London Broncos (8) 20, Castleford Tigers (22) 34

London Broncos could not overcome an horrendous opening 10 minutes and went down to 14-point defeat at Ebbsfleet United’s Kuflink Stadium on Friday night. Castleford Tigers profited a host of early London errors and indiscretions to take an unassailable lead and stroll to victory, but things could have been very different.

The Broncos’ defence went to sleep late in the second Tigers possession. As the tacklers and markers dallied, Tex Hoy picked up the ball on the London 40, saw the markers had switched off and set off on a mazy run through two weak arm tackles on his way to the line. Rowan Milnes added the extras.

In the eighth minute, Robbie Storey burst through the Tigers line and as he tried to ground the ball, Jacob Miller tackled Storey’s arm, forcing the ball loose. The referee, well-positioned, ruled no try and a 20-metre restart. Hoy picked up the ball and was running towards the 20-metre line but was stopped by the referee, who had heard an injudicious comment and Rhys Kennedy was sent to the sin-bin.

Within a minute, Cas had moved the ball to the other end of the pitch and Miller threw a long pass out to the left wing, where Innes Senior gathered the ball and touched down in the corner, the video referee confirming the ball was grounded before any part of Senior had hit terra firma over the sideline. A superb conversion from Milnes made it 12–0 after 10 minutes.

After 13 minutes, Jimmy Meadows kicked a magnificent 40–20, more like a 30–15, to give London a possession 15 metres from the Tigers line. This was Meadows’ second attempt at a 40–20; the first one had bounced kindly for Cas a metre from the sideline. When Lee Kershaw fought his way over the line, Miller intervened again and the ball was not grounded, this time the decision coming from the video referee. A minute later the ball was at the other end and Corey Hall was adjudged to have grounded the ball millimetres from the line and then lost it, so the knock-on resulted in a scrum on London’s 10.

In the 23rd minute, a deft chip from Oli Leyland should been grabbed by Jason Qareqare, but a deft piece of thievery from Josh Rourke ended up in the London full-back’s hands and he was able to step forward and ground the ball in-goal for the Broncos’ first try. Unfortunately, Leyland’s conversion attempt drifted wide.

London could not build on this score and unfortunately, Iliess Macani knocked on trying to catch a diagonal kick from Miller. From the base of the scrum, the ball was fed to the left and Alex Mellor scored easily, though Milnes missed the kick. Tries came back-to-back as another beautiful long pass from Miller picked out Senior who, this time, had an easy run to the line. From touch, Milnes kick a superb conversion.

When the Broncos finally managed to get some repeat sets near to the Tigers line, they made it pay. Leyland was involved a few times and it was his beautiful pass that released captain fantastic Will Lovell who touched down midway between the right sideline and the near post. Leyland’s kick drifted inches to the right of the near post so it was 22–8 at the interval.

At the start of the second half, London produced maybe their best defensive stand of the season. Cas had six consecutive sets inside the Broncos’ 20-metre area, but the strong black line held firm and when Milnes benefited from a team-mate’s shepherd, the try was ruled out and the Broncos had a penalty.

In the 54th minute, the Tigers’ blond ponytailed half-back, Miller, produced another superb run and his pass gave Mellor a simple score, which Milnes improved. London’s blond ponytailed half-back, James Meadows, meanwhile was on the sideline, having picked up an injury in a ‘friendly fire’ tackle earlier in the second half.

Before London next got their hands on the ball, Milnes had added another six points, Miller, of course, the man with the final pass, but this time, Castleford had moved the ball downfield with far too much ease.

At 34–8 down, the Broncos might have fallen apart, especially given the defensive rearguard at the start of the half, but they are made of sterner stuff. After an hour, Marcus Stock took the ball towards the line and had the ball stripped by Hoy. As the ball rolled in the in-goal area, Stock put his hand out to ground it before a man in green could reach it. The referee asked for video assistance, but ruled no try; the man in the booth ruled otherwise and the try was awarded, and improved by Leyland.

The Broncos put further pressure on the Castleford line and were given a repeat set close to the Tigers’ line. Hopes of a fourth try were dashed when the ball was lost. Ugo Tison’s kicking proved problematic for Cas and after Miller had hacked the ball far from danger, London finished the move with a powerful burst from Lewis Bienik – a former Cas signing – right between the posts. Leyland made it a 14-point game, with still enough time for a remarkable comeback if another score came quickly. 

It didn’t and, in fact, there was no more scoring. Fourteen points may seem a large margin of victory, but the Broncos, who spent 10 minutes a man down and lost their scrum-half early in the second half, matched Castleford try for try after the 10th minute and displayed excellent resilience throughout the evening.

London Broncos: 23 Josh Rourke, 2 Lee Kershaw, 23 Robbie Storey, 3 Jarred Bassett, 5 Iliess Manani, 20 Oli Leyland, 7 James Meadows, 19 Rhys Kennedy, 9 Sam Davis, 10 Lewis Bienik, 11 Will Lovell, 17 Sadiq Adebiyi, 29 Jacob Jones. Replacements: 8 Rob Butler, 12 Ethan Natoli, 15 Marcus Stock, 34 Ugo Tison. 19th man: 1 Alex Walker.

Tries: Rourke (23), Lovell (37), Stock (60), Bienik (70)

Goals: Leyland 2/4

Castleford Tigers: 34 Tex Hoy, 23 Jason Qareqare, 35 Corey Hall, 12 Alex Mellor, 5 Innes Senior, 16 Rowan Milnes, 7 Jacob Miller, 15 George Griffin, 14 Liam Horne, 20 Muizz Mustapha, 11 Elie El-Zakehm, 10 George Lawler, 13 Joe Westerman. Replacements: 8 Liam Watts, 24 Cain Robb, 30 Luis Johnson, 37 Matty English, 18th man: 19 Sam Hall.

Tries: Hoy (4), Senior (9, 33), Mellor (29, 28), Milnes (56)

Goals: Milnes 5/6

Referee: James Vella

HT: 8–22

Penalty awarded count: 6–5

Attendance: 2,050