LONDON BRONCOS 10 WIDNES VIKINGS 12
HUW RICHARDS, Cherry Red Records Stadium, Saturday
AMID the deluge of warm words and high aspirations at London’s relaunch at Australia House last month was a single note of coolly objective reality – head coach Mike Eccles asking for action to strengthen a squad which might be used as the dictionary illustration for ‘makeshift’.
A run of eight consecutive defeats, even if this against Widnes was the third by a margin of only two points, might raise the question of whether Eccles has lost the ability to make something from very little shown in his previous three seasons.
But a performance like this one, with a team that he said is “thrown together from week to week, with a carousel of players in and out”, shows those abilities fully intact.
A teamsheet featuring Jack Smith, Louix Gorman, Connor Barley, Lennie Ellis and Kalum Rathbone may one day draw the awed reaction ‘You had all of those, together?’ – and none of them let down.
Leeds’ Smith will remember his first senior tries and Wigan’s Rathbone his league debut for the rest of their lives.
But to ask a group among whom Barley counts as the veteran by virtue being nearer to his 21st birthday than his 20th, and all the others are on the ‘here today, gone tomorrow’ basis of dual-registration, to rescue a struggling Championship team is to demand the impossible.
Widnes, who had lost seven of their last ten matches, dominated almost from the start. London were pinned into their own territory, relying on Ellis’s siege-gun left boot to clear their lines and what Eccles rightly called ‘a phenomenal defensive effort’ to keep Widnes at bay.
With Luke Thomas inserting additional drive as a replacement, Widnes pressure became inexorable and in the 23rd minute, Morgan McWhirter changed the direction of play to surge across London’s cover and stretch an arm for his first touchdown with the club. Tom Gilmore, playing his 200th game, added the conversion.
The same pattern continued, but London, barely out of their own half previously, hit back within three minutes as Smith picked up near his own line and, amid Widnes claims of a knock-on, charged 80 metres to score. Gorman’s goal made it 6-6.
With former Bronco Matty Fozard prompting from dummy-half, Widnes raised their tempo after the break and thought another ex-Londoner, Rhys Williams, had scored within a minute.
That was disallowed, but served only to postpone the inevitable as Fozard’s quick hands put Danny Langtree over five minutes later, leaving Gilmore an easy conversion.
London were rarely out of their own half, but showed what they could accomplish on a rare incursion in the 54th minute. Sadiq Adebiyi surged to within a metre, then rapid movement to the right left Smith free to stroll across. Gorman struck the conversion well from the touchline, but saw it rebound from the far post.
Widnes retained that two-point edge until the end, but London might have stolen it. With Adam Lawton in the bin, Alex Walker was held a yard short of what would have been his 100th league try as the hooter sounded.
So near, but in reality still a long way to go.
GAMESTAR: Dual-registered Warrington forward Luke Thomas made a significant impact from the bench.
GAMEBREAKER: The goalpost struck by Louix Gorman’s conversion attempt, which proved the final difference between the teams.
MATCHFACTS
BRONCOS
6 Luke Polselli
19 Jack Smith
14 Louix Gorman
20 Aaron Small
34 Connor Barley
1 Alex Walker
27 Lennie Ellis
12 Sadiq Adebiyi
9 Curtis Davies
8 Huw Worthington
11 Will Lovell
3 Ethan Natoli
13 Marcus Stock
Subs
18 Ben Hursey-Hord
21 Chris Ball (not used)
22 Matt Ross
24 Kalum Rathbone
Tries: Smith (26, 54)
Goals: Gorman 1/2
VIKINGS
33 Jake Maizen
29 Rhys Williams
4 Joe Edge
17 Max Roberts
27 AJ Towse
1 Jack Owens
7 Tom Gilmore
8 Dan Murray
9 Jordan Johnstone
13 Morgan McWhirter
11 Rhodri Lloyd
12 Danny Langtree
18 Nick Gregson
Subs (all used)
14 Matty Fozard
30 Luke Thomas
31 Adam Lawton
21 Gavin Bennion
Tries: McWhirter (23), Langtree (46)
Goals: Gilmore 2/2
Sin bin: Lawton (73) – foul play
SCORING SEQUENCE: 0-6, 6-6; 6-12, 10-12
Rugby Leaguer & League Express Men of the Match
Broncos: Jack Smith; Vikings: Luke Thomas
Penalty count: 5-7
Half-time: 6-6
Referee: Aaryn Belafonte