York Knights continue streak over struggling London Broncos

LONDON BRONCOS 6 YORK KNIGHTS 36
HUW RICHARDS, Cherry Red Records Stadium, Saturday

IF LONDON’S prospective owners, expected to take over later this month, have any illusions about the task awaiting them, they should be dispelled by this fifth consecutive defeat.

Support has dwindled to a hardcore of a few hundred – little more than 600 are estimated to have been here – while a patchwork squad struggles to compete with, as coach Mike Eccles pointed out, “teams who are spending a lot more money and have more experienced players”.

Hull KR dual-registration player Lennie Ellis, who formed a new halfback partnership with stalwart Alex Walker, usually a fullback, met his new team-mates for the first time on Friday night and was one of five loanees or dual-reg players in the London side.

York, already established as London’s bogey team by six consecutive defeats including three inflicted on the promotion-winning team of 2023, were the last team Broncos wanted to play, history compounded by their current form – five wins in six matches, during which they had been outscored in only one half out of twelve.

They extended all of those sequences, with a second half in which they outscored London by five tries and 26 points to nil making particularly cheerless viewing for those hard-core loyalists, including a noisily animated group supporting hooker Huw Worthington on his stag weekend.

The problem, as Eccles said, is “putting two halves of rugby together”, but there was at least plenty to cheer before the break.

Italian international Luca Polselli took over from Walker at fullback and made a huge scything break out from his own line in the sixth minute. The attack he launched, aided by a timely penalty, ended with winger Liam Tindall crossing on the left and Chris Hellec adding the conversion points from the touchline.

Polselli continued to threaten, but the downside of the new combinations forced on London was apparent within a few minutes as Liam Harris chipped astutely, Polselli and Hellec both hesitated and York winger Scott Galeano snapped up the loose ball to cross.

Harris failed with the conversion, and London gave as good as they got for the next 20 minutes until Galeano snaffled another kick on the left. He moved play rapidly to the right where Harris calmly assessed his options before throwing a long pass to send in Ben Jones-Bishop.

This time Harris landed a much tougher conversion, and York led 10-6 at the break.

The second half was a different and almost entirely one-way story.

Early tries from Jordan Thompson and Sam Cook, both converted by Harris, consolidated York’s advantage and London rarely escaped from their own half.

Jones-Bishop scored his fifth try in three games, then launched the assault which culminated in Oli Field crossing on the right, before Joe Brown claimed York’s final try.

But if the new owners are wise they will note that London have improved sharply – in 2023 spectacularly – in each of Eccles’ previous three seasons, and that without him and the skeleton management who have sustained Broncos since David Hughes ended two decades of support, there would be no club to take over.

GAMESTAR: For once Liam Harris didn’t score a try, but that was about the only thing he didn’t do as he pulled all the strings in a dominant York display.

GAMEBREAKER: Three York tries in ten minutes either side of half-time ended any sense of contest.

MATCHFACTS
BRONCOS
6 Luke Polselli
2 Chris Hellec
14 Louix Gorman
20 Aaron Small
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
Subs (all used)
8 Huw Worthington
22 Matt Ross
28 Jenson Binks
33 Emmanuel Waine

Tries: Tindall (7)
Goals: Hellec 1/1

KNIGHTS
1 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
Subs (all used)
19 Sam Cook
20 Oli Field
21 Conor Fitzsimmons
31 Kieran Hudson