LONDON BRONCOS are hoping to follow the Hull FC route to success – with stage one finishing their Championship campaign with a 100 percent record as they continue to pursue a place in Super League.
Dewsbury (18 victories from 18 in 2009) and Keighley (20 from 20 in 2022) have both done it in the third tier.
And Toulouse triumphed in all 13 of the Championship matches they were able to play in 2021, when pandemic-enforced regulations on travelling to France severely impacted their fixture list (they were additionally awarded a walkover win when the Broncos failed to fulfil their schedule cross-Channel fixture, which was due to have taken place because both clubs were full-time).
Meanwhile in 1978-79, relegated Hull FC won all 26 Second Division matches under Arthur Bunting to book an immediate return to the top flight – and went on to win the Challenge Cup in 1981-82 and the league title the season after.
The full-time Broncos have won 14 from 14 in the Championship so far this year, including their record-breaking 134-0 victory at North Wales at the start of this month.
It was the biggest-ever winning margin in the top two divisions, beating Castleford’s 106-0 romp at Rochdale in National League One in 2007.
And Gary Hetherington, co-chairman of the Broncos with Australian mining magnate Grant Wechsel, said: “Hull FC went on to become a major force in the game, and we hope to emulate them.”
After a forthcoming bye round, the next league opponents for Jason Demetriou’s team, who have notched 879 points while conceding only 124 in those 14 games, are Batley at the Fox’s Biscuits Stadium on Sunday week, June 28.