OLDHAM 34 LONDON BRONCOS 24
IAN WILSON, Boundary Park, Sunday

ALTHOUGH London lost the rugby game, the real losers here were those Oldham people who opted to do something else on a Sunday afternoon.

The 17 men who represented the town ran their blood to water, in both attack and defence, for 80 minutes of nerve-shredding, intense and indeed quality rugby, to hand out a first defeat this season against a Championship side for the full-time Broncos.

If this match-up were to be repeated in the competition’s Grand Final on October 4, don’t miss it!

The multi-national London side began as they clearly had come to play, when a late hit by Reagan Campbell-Gillard in the Roughyeds’ first set with the ball conceded a penalty. What they probably didn’t expect was the last-tackle dummy and try-scoring drive from close range by master playmaker Josh Drinkwater, which was superbly converted by Morgan Smith.

The shock to the system seemed to bring some sense to the Broncos and soon they began to play the powerful, slick rugby for which they are rightly renowned.

Super-fast line speed prevented the Oldham pack from making much yardage for a while, and rapid play-the-balls soon gave the Broncos attacking momentum. Two quick scores were the result, and the pattern for the rest of the match seemed to be set.

Lewis Bienek got the first, his power from close range simply being too much for the last line of Oldham’s defence. Then Neil Tchamambe hared 80 metres untouched after Siliva Havili had crunched Jack Walker in a ball-and-all tackle, and the flying winger had picked up the resulting loose ball.

However, it was at this point that Oldham really showed their mettle.

First Drinkwater managed to kick the restart dead, and Luke Forber got on the end of his clever lobbed pass in the next set to touch down in the corner, with Tchamambe out of position. Smith again converted from near touch.

The Roughyeds were pressuring London into error after error, with penalties conceded for violent play by Finlay Glare and Robert Mathias. Smith knocked over a goal to restore the lead to Oldham in the 27th minute.

Remarkably, London managed a score themselves in virtually their only venture into Oldham’s half in the game’s second quarter, with Elliot Wallis somehow threading his way over through perhaps the only bit of weak defence Oldham displayed all afternoon.

But a freak bounce from another clever Drinkwater bomb in the 39th minute resulted in Ben O’Keefe touching down. Parity was restored – and the hooter blew to allow all to have a few minutes of breathing space before the unremitting action resumed.

There was heavy Oldham pressure for almost half an hour, and three classy tries that cemented a marvellous victory.

Luke Forber got the first in the 43rd minute after a solo break by prop Ted Chapelhow leading to one of Forber’s flying finishes in the corner.

Just six minutes later, on-loan young hooker Tom Forber did what all hookers are supposed to do, backing up on the inside to take the final pass after Jack Walker and Drinkwater had combined brilliantly in midfield.

And finally Jake Bibby put the icing on the Oldham cake in the 67th minute, after the by then shot London defence had failed to deal with yet another Drinkwater kick. 

Ben Hursey-Hord’s close range score in the 73rd minute was little consolation to the visitors as they contemplated defeat for the first time this season in the Championship.

GAMESTAR: Brad Day gave an outstanding display of power running out wide.

GAMEBREAKER: Luke Forber’s outstanding Oldham try in the 43rd minute instilled enough confidence in his side for them to be able to pull convincingly away as the second half progressed.

MATCHFACTS

OLDHAM
1 Jack Walker
21 Tom Nisbet
3 Ben O’Keefe
5 Jake Bibby
29 Luke Forber
6 Morgan Smith
23 Josh Drinkwater
15 Owen Farnworth
9 Matty Wildie
34 Lazarus Vaalepu
11 Matty Ashurst
26 Brad Day
13 Adam Milner
Subs (all used)
4 Ben Davies
7 Tom Forber
10 Ryan Lannon
15 Ted Chapelhow

Tries: Drinkwater (3), L Forber (18, 43), O’Keefe (39), T Forber (49), Bibby (67)
Goals: Smith 5/7

BRONCOS
22 Alex Walker
2 Elliot Wallis
3 Robert Mathias
4 Alex Max
26 Neil Tchamambe
23 Gairo Voro
7 Dean Hawkins
24 Lewis Bienek
13 Siliva Havili
8 Reagan Campbell-Gillard
11 Luke Smith
16 Ben Hursey
10 Emarly Bitungane
Subs (all used)
6 Connor O’Beirne
14 Finley Glare
16 Epel Kapinias
17 Marcus Stock

Tries: Bienek (10), Tchamambe (14), Wallis (35), Hursey-Hord (73)
Goals: Hawkins 4/4

SCORING SEQUENCE: 6-0, 6-6, 6-12, 12-12, 14-12, 14-18, 18-18; 22-18, 28-18, 34-18, 34-24

Rugby Leaguer & League Express Men of the Match
Oldham: Brad Day; Broncos: Connor O’Beirne

Penalty count: 6-5
Half-time: 18-18
Referee: Matty Lynn
Attendance: 1,345