GOOLE VIKINGS 10 LONDON BRONCOS 70
JAMES CLARK, Victoria Pleasure Grounds, Saturday

LONDON maintained their flawless start to the Championship season with a twelve-try victory over Goole Vikings, making it ten wins from ten.

But the scoreline did not fully reflect the contest for long periods at the Victoria Pleasure Grounds.

For most of the first half, Goole more than held their own against the league leaders, matching their intensity and troubling them with moments of opportunism and attacking threat.

However, a devastating spell late in the first half and immediately after the interval ultimately swung the match decisively in London’s favour as the visitors pulled clear.

The Vikings made a bright start and stunned the visitors with the opening try. Connor Barley, continuing his recent scoring form, intercepted a loose pass from Dean Hawkins and sprinted the length of the field to score.

London responded swiftly as Tongan international Siliva Havili’s clever dummy opened space before he released Emarly Bitungane to cross and level the scores.

The Broncos then began to build pressure and took the lead when star forward Reagan Campbell-Gillard crossed over unchallenged.

The Vikings however, refused to yield. A well-worked move involving on-loan Hull FC halfback Callum Kemp created space on the right edge, allowing Barley to claim his second try and restore parity, ensuring the contest remained evenly poised as the half-hour approached.

The hosts were in the ascendency as Kemp forced a drop-out and the crowd got right behind them, but the turning point came as youngster Brad Bullock came up with a handling error at the restart, and it was costly.

From there, London asserted their class. In a ruthless ten-minute spell before the break, the Broncos crossed four times through Connor O’Beirne, Gairo Voro, Luke Smith and former Viking Neil Tchamambe, opening up a commanding 32-10 lead at half-time.

Any hopes of a home resurgence were quickly extinguished after the interval as London maintained their intensity and execution. Morea Morea was first to strike in the second half, backing up a break from Smith, who was impressive throughout.

Tchamambe added his second soon after, again finishing off Smith’s incisive play, before the tall winger’s length-of-the-field interception led to try for Liam Tindall.

London’s dominance continued as Morea added his second following a loose ball, while Havili and Smith both crossed to round off an emphatic display that underlined the visitors’ dominance in the Championship this season.

Despite the eventual margin, Goole’s early competitiveness and attacking endeavour offered encouragement against the division’s form side, earning the narrowest scoreline against the Broncos out of any of the former League One sides so far this season.

GAMESTAR: Australian back-rower Luke Smith was a constant threat on the Broncos right edge and came up with some big plays, including two tries.

GAMEBREAKER: Poor Brad Bullock’s costly error just before half-time, with the Vikings on top, opened the door for a devastating 20-minute period either side of half-time as the Broncos scored six tries in ruthless fashion.

MATCHFACTS

VIKINGS
37 Lloyd Kemp
39 Harvey Horne
6 Mackenzie Harman
4 Cooper Howlett
18 Connor Barley
38 Callum Kemp
7 Jack Miller
8 Jack Arnold
31 Will Jubb
10 Tyler Craig
11 Nick Staveley
12 Brett Ferres
9 Jeylan Hodgson
Subs (all used)
5 Callum Shaw
20 Shane Tuohey
25 Brad Bullock
– Joe Phillips

Tries: Barley (4, 21)
Goals: Miller 1/2

BRONCOS
1 Morea Morea
26 Neil Tchamambe
27 Ted Davidson
2 Elliot Wallis
5 Liam Tindall
23 Gairo Voro
7 Dean Hawkins
8 Reagan Campbell-Gillard
9 Sam Davis
10 Emarly Bitungane
19 Ben Hursey-Hord
11 Luke Smith
13 Siliva Havili
Subs (all used)
6 Connor O’Beirne
16 Epel Kapinias
17 Marcus Stock
18 James Meadows

Tries: Bitungane (9), Campbell-Gillard (13), O’Beirne (32), Voro (35), Smith (37, 70), Tchamambe (40, 47), Morea (43, 57), Tindall (50), Havili (61)
Goals: Hawkins 11/12

SCORING SEQUENCE: 6-0, 6-6, 6-10, 10-10, 10-16, 10-22, 10-28, 10-34; 10-40, 10-46, 10-52, 10-58, 10-64, 10-70

Rugby Leaguer & League Express Men of the Match
Vikings: Connor Barley; Broncos: Luke Smith

Penalty count: 5-6
Half-time: 10-34
Referee: Aaryn Belafonte