MATCH REPORT: London Broncos vs Oldham RLFC
Jake Watson • 25 August 2025
MATCH REPORT: LONDON BRONCOS V OLDHAM RLFC (by David Ballheimer)
London Broncos (12) 18, Oldham RLFC (8) 20
London Broncos suffered their fourth two-point home defeat of the season despite a truly magnificent defensive performance, especially in the second half. It did not help that London made three handling errors inside their own 10-metre zone, none of which were punished.
It was London who enjoyed the bulk of the early territorial battle but when Huw Worthington was ruled held up in goal after seven minutes it was the first time either team had gone remotely close to scoring. Oldham appeared to be out of sorts; their recent influx of players meant they probably had not had much time on the training field to get to know each other’s style of play. They didn’t help their cause by committing two late-hit penalties in three minutes.
The second one, a shot on Connor O’Beirne as he kicked, led to the opening score. In the 15th minute, Sadiq Adebiyi was able to burst through a couple of tacklers to ground the ball and Jack Smith turned four points into six. For all of the opening quarter, it was London who held the upper hand, but Oldham’s first attack showed menace although it ended tamely just inside the Broncos’ 20. This did signal a shift in the balance of play and the Roughyeds started to win the territorial battle.
A lost ball gifted Oldham a short field, but the home defence was solid and on the last tackle, Smith caught Josh Drinkwater’s kick and London started a counter-attack which ended with O’Beirne kicking deep. The Roughyeds had already kicked early in the tackle count and former Bronco Josh Drinkwater did it again in the 28th minute, raking a 40–20 that curled just over the 20 as Alex Walker vainly tried to keep the ball in play.
On the last tackle, Morgan Smith – another former Bronco – drilled a grubber towards the right corner and Ethan Ryan dived onto the loose ball for a try. Drinkwater converted from close to the touchline to level matters. The next possession ended with desperate London defending as an Oldham last-tackle play saw two kicks and four offloads.
Drinkwater kicked his second 40–20 in six minutes to set up an Oldham set of six from the London time. On the first tackle, however, London were penalised for not being back 10 yards, normally punished by a repeat set, but this was set-piece start, so it was a full penalty and Oldham had such respect for the Broncos’ rearguard that they elected to take the two points on offer and Drinkwater made no mistake. It proved to be the difference between the teams.
A third penalty for a late Oldham hit actually penalised London because Adebiye took Marcus Stock’s pass and made 40 metres downfield. Instead of being inside the Oldham 20, London kicked for touch from their own 40. The Broncos did make the visitors pay for this indiscretion because Lewis Bienik forced his way to the line and grounded the ball on the whitewash. Moments after the half-time hooter sounded, Smith added the extras to give London a four-point advantage at the interval.
The second half was pretty much one-way traffic. Walker caught a bomb and was hit in the air by a challenge from Ben Davies, but he was ruled to have been challenging for the ball, so it was a knock-on against the skipper. Davies left the field for a head injury assessment, much to his anger, and his replacement, George Hirst nearly scored with his first touch, but a gang tackle forced him over the sideline by the corner flag.
Oldham’s next attack ended with a knock-on five metres from the London line, but the pressure was incessant and after two penalties against the Broncos to keep the Roughyeds in possession, the line was finally breached, Jay Chapelhow crashing over from close range.
London’s response was instant. After forcing Oldham to kick, the Broncos moved downfield and a delayed pass from O’Beirne invited Adebiyi to burst through the line and charge behind the posts for his second try, which Smith converted to restore the four-point lead. It would be the only time in the second period London attacked the Oldham line from inside the opposition half.
The story of the second half resumed: Oldham camped inside the London half, normally inside the 20 and the defence stopping them. When the Broncos lost the ball bringing it away from their line, in the 65th minute, the Roughyeds had a scrum on the London 10-metre line. The ball was spread quickly from right to left and Phoenix Laulu-Togaga’e had just enough room to touch down in the corner. Drinkwater’s boot, the difference between the two teams, did the rest, his conversion dropping centimetres behind the crossbar.
Ryan Brierley almost added to the Oldham lead, but two tacklers were able to ensure he could not ground the ball. The Broncos were finally able to get some possession and another storming run from Adebiyi ended with the second-rower suffering what looked like a neck or head injury. As he struggled to get to his feet, he lost the ball and a knock on was ruled against him. In the Australian NRL earlier in the weekend, a similar injury to a ball carrier and a dropped ball saw play resume with a scrum to the attack.
Adebiyi left the game for a head injury assessment a minute or two later after a magnificent 74 minutes for the Broncos. Walker and Luke Polselli did fashion a half-break, but London got no closer than 30 metres from the Oldham line as the Roughyeds were able to hold on for two competition points.
London’s heroic defending deserved something more than a narrow loss but it was not to be.
London Broncos: 1 Alex Walker, 33 Jack Smith, 3 Ethan Natoli, 2 Chris Hellec, 5 Liam Tindall, 6 Luke Polselli, 7 Connor O’Beirne, 8 Huw Worthington, 9 Curtis Davies, 14 Kobe Rugless, 18 Ben Hursey-Hord, 12 Sadiq Adebiyi, 13 Marcus Stock. Replacements: 10 Lewis Bienik, 16 Max Wood, 22 Matt Ross, 34 Tommy Porter. 18th man: 26 Charlie Robson.
Tries: Adebiyi 15, 58, Bienik 40
Goals: Smith 3/3
OLDHAM RLFC: 1 Ryan Brierley, 31 Phoenix Laulu-Togaga’e, 24 Ben O’Keefe, 28 Ethan Ryan, 38 Ben Davies, 42 Morgan Smith, 23 Josh Drinkwater, 12 Jack Ormondroyd, 9 Matty Wildie, 10 Owen Farnworth, 11 Matty Ashurst, 17 Elijah Taylor, 13 Adam Milner. Replacements: 14 Jay Chapelhow, 25 Tom Whitehead, 30 George Hirst, 40 Eloi Pelisser. 18th man: 2 Kieran Dixon,
Tries: Ryan 29, Chapelhow 53, Laulu-Togaga’e 65
Goals: Drinkwater 4/4
Referee: Tara Jones
HT: 12–8
Penalty awarded count: 3–8
HIGHLIGHTS: London Broncos vs Oldham RLFC You can now watch back highlights of the Round 23 Championship fixture between London Broncos and Oldham RLFC at the Cherry Red Records. Keep scrolling for tickets for the final home league game of the season on September 6th.
MATCH GALLERY: London Broncos vs Oldham RLFC Take a look through the best images from the Championship fixture at The Cherry Red Records between London Broncos and Oldham RLFC. #WeAreLondon
POST-MATCH REACTION: Mike Eccles following defeat to Oldham Hear the thoughts of Mike Eccles following the narrow defeat to Oldham RLFC at The Cherry Red Records Stadium. #WeAreLondon
TEAM NEWS: London Broncos vs Oldham RLFC Here is your starting line-up for this afternoon’s Championship fixture with Oldham RLFC at The Cherry Red Records. Liam Tindall, Luke Polselli and Alex Walker return to the starting 13 following injury and Lewis Bienek returns to the squad in a boost to Mike Eccles. Max Wood who has joined on dual-registration from Warrington Wolves is also in the squad. #WeAreLondon
MATCH PREVIEW: London Broncos vs Oldham RLFC It is the penultimate home league game of the season on Sunday as London Broncos welcome Sean Long's Oldham RLFC to The Cherry Red Records Stadium. The Roughyeds are flying high in the league and were made to work for their latest win on Sunday as they edged past Batley Bulldogs at The Fox's Biscuits Stadium. For the Broncos they look to return to winning ways after defeats to fellow high-flyers Toulouse and York. Speaking after the defeat to York, Mike Eccles says he is confident there will be a return to the side of some of the players who were injured. SQUAD INFO Mike Eccles has named his 21-man squad to face Oldham RFLC at The Cherry Red Records Stadium on Sunday, 24th (3pm KO). There is positive news as Alex Walker, Liam Tindall, Luke Polselli and Lewis Bienek return after missing last weekend. However, Will Lovell and Dan Okoro miss out after picking up head injuries in the defeat to York. Meanwhile, Warrington prop Max Wood joins up with the squad this weekend on dual-registration. Aaron Small has been ruled out for the remainder of the season with a torn bicep and Brandon Webster-Mansfield is back in training and is hopeful of a near return.
SQUAD ANNOUNCEMENT: London Broncos vs Oldham RLFC Mike Eccles has named his 21-man squad to face Oldham RFLC at The Cherry Red Records Stadium on Sunday, 24th (3pm KO). There is positive news as Alex Walker, Liam Tindall, Luke Polselli and Lewis Bienek return after missing last weekend. However, Will Lovell and Dan Okoro miss out after picking up head injuries in the defeat to York. Meanwhile, Warrington prop Max Wood joins up with the squad this weekend on dual-registration. Aaron Small has been ruled out for the remainder of the season with a torn bicep and Brandon Webster-Mansfield is back in training and is hopeful of a near return. #WeAreLondon
Max Wood joins Broncos squad London Broncos can confirm that Max Wood will join up with the squad for this weekend’s fixture from Warrington Wolves. The 21-year-old prop joined Warrington on a one-year deal after being released by Wigan at the end of the 2023 season. He began pre-season training for the 2024 campaign with Warrington’s first team and impressed coach Sam Burgess so much that he was offered a one-year deal with a one-year option in the club’s favour. In 2025 he has played 11 times for Warrington and also 6 times for fellow dual registration club Widnes Wolves. #WeAreLondon
The Best of the Best of North London vs South London in an Elite Series at U14s & U16s!
Broncos Launch “Fan Hub” Project! Big plans to relaunch London Broncos for the 2026 Rugby League season are already underway and the first project is to launch and create new supporter “hubs” around London and the South of England. The main objectives of this initiative is for the Broncos to engage more closely with its fans, bring all fans, players, volunteers, clubs and teams closer together, raise interest, profile and momentum and attract newcomers from all sectors of society. Gary Hetherington said; “We all want the game to be “less of a secret” to those in this part of the country and if we don’t do it, it won’t get done! “Rugby League has a proud record for its connectivity and support for its communities, the players and staff are approachable and committed and we the fans can do more.” Can you help? Could you help to create a “hub” in your village, school, club, town, community? It could be at a pub, club or wherever you think appropriate? Are you interested in joining a steering group to oversee the project and its development? If the answer to either or both of these questions is yes, just email Jake Watson at jake.watson@londonbroncosrl.com to register your interest and we’ll be back in touch soon with more information. #WeAreLondon
GAMEWEEK: London Broncos vs Oldham RLFC It is the penultimate home league game of the season on Sunday as London Broncos welcome Sean Long's Oldham RLFC to The Cherry Red Records Stadium. The Roughyeds are flying high in the league and were made to work for their latest win on Sunday as they eded past Batley Bulldogs at The Fox's Biscuits Stadium. For the Broncos they look to return to winning ways after defeats to fellow high-flyers Toulouse and York. Speaking after the defeat to York, Mike Eccles says he is confident there will be a return to the side of some of the players who were injured. Keep scrolling to get your tickets for Sunday's game with prices starting at JUST £5.
