Betfred Super League Round 8: London Broncos vs Salford Red Devils Match Report
Despite the best performance of the season so far, the Broncos did not come away with the two points which they so desperately desired as twelve-man Salford hung on to claim victory in the capital.
It’s a result which the Broncos weren’t looking for but it was certainly a performance which momentum can be built from, especially heading into next week’s massive clash against Castleford Tigers which will certainly have big implications on the final standings at the end of the season.
Within the first five minutes of the game, London had two fantastic opportunities to score due to a Salford knock on five metres outside of their try line in the second minute as well as a penalty for a high tackle on Rhys Kennedy in similar field position in the fourth minute. However, sloppy passing saw the Broncos pushing themselves back further than Salford did, and the opportunities were squandered.
Between the fifth to tenth minute, the game was very even with both sides giving it their best at making big meters in the attempts which they were given. In the seventh minute, London defended well to stop Salford scoring on their sixth attempt, resulting in a turnover ball for the Broncos.
The first scare of the game for the Broncos came in the tenth minute where a high Sneyd kick was caught in quite an individual manor by Kershaw where his arms were outstretched on the catch, rather than tucking the ball into his chest, which resulted in the catch being ripped out of his hands by Salford five metres away from the Broncos try line. Luckily, a Salford knock on gifted London the ball back but had this not happened we may well have been looking at the first try of the game going Salford’s way as there was certainly an overlap to be exploited.
Between the tenth to twentieth minute, a series of Salford mistakes allowed London to settle from the early scare and establish themselves with some good field position to work with. In the thirteenth minute, a chip through by Sneyd went dead and a Red Devils’ forward pass in the fifteenth minute gave the Broncos the ball back where Salford perhaps should have executed their plays more effectively. However, the biggest gift which Salford provided London was in the seventeenth minute after London were awarded a penalty deep in Salford territory for a high tackle on Will Lovell.
Despite not capitalising on the initial penalty, London were given a scrum five metres outside of the Salford try line and some very quick hands to the wing saw Iliess Macani take the ball over the try-line for his second try of the 2024 Super League season in the nineteenth minute. Oli Leyland’s conversion attempt hit the post and bounced out- Broncos 4- Salford 0.
From this point, there was certainly a sense within the ground that if London maintain their intensity up to half time and keep Salford out of the try’s, this game could well be one which swings London’s way. Even the travelling Salford fans, who admittedly were fantastic throughout the game, quietened down for a five-minute period. However, this was not to be.
From the Broncos try, the Red Devils reacted well and immediately upped the pressure from the restart and their increased intensity paid off in the twenty fifth minute when Kallum Watkins ran the ball over the Broncos line for a try and Sneyd, in usual fashion, made his first conversion of the afternoon.
Salford nearly had their second two minutes later when Cross made an outstanding break, moving the ball 50m down the field and just needed to successfully pass to Sneyd who would have been in and uncontested. However, Cross’ pass went behind Sneyd and his attempt to catch the misplaced pass resulted in a knock on and a Broncos scrum- a major let off.
From this point until half-time it was very back and forth but the ‘big’ plays were being made by the Red Devils. Within this period, credit must be given to Alex Walker for his ability to make an effective tackle as the last man. Wright made an excellent break and was in to score if he managed to get past Walker. However, the fullback lined up the contact perfectly and managed to wrap the legs up to prevent a certain try.
Half time- Broncos 4- Salford 6
Out of the sheds and into the second forty, this game was certainly up for grabs for whichever team kept persevering and effectively executing their plays.
Four minutes into the second half, Salford showed that they were the team looking to finish the game with another two points on the Super League table with their second try of the afternoon. After a look on the big screen by the referee and video referee, the try was awarded to Deon Cross after evidence showed that he had not gone into touch whilst scoring the try. Once more, from the sideline, Sneyd made his conversion look effortless. Broncos 4- Salford 12.
As the Broncos looked to gain some form of momentum from the Salford try things went from bad to worse for the Broncos as skipper Will Lovell was given ten minutes in the bin after his tackle on Lafai in the forty ninth minute.
Despite the Broncos being down to twelve men, Salford couldn’t use their man advantage to produce any more points as the Broncos stepped up defensively to hold the Red Devils out.
In the fifty fifth minute, the Broncos received arguably the best opportunity of the 2024 Super League season so far to get a win as King Vuniyayawa was sent off for a tackle which saw Marcus Stock land on the back of his head. This decision seemed to put some life into the Broncos fans and chants of ‘Londonnnn’ began echoing around the Cherry Red Records Stadium at the thought of the Broncos having twenty five minutes to get their hands on the ball and exploit a wounded Salford team.
Despite the red card, it appeared as though Salford looked more effective from this point until the end as they did throughout the game with a full squad on the pitch. The Red Devils began placing serious pressure on the Broncos but, once more, London’s improved defensive effort kept them out. There were also a serious of stoppages within this period due to injury. Broncos’ fans feared the worst as captain Will Lovell was down holding his shoulder in the sixty third minute but fortunately, he was okay to continue, much to the relief of everybody within the ground.
Salford player Ethan Ryan then went down with what looked like a concerning knee injury but luckily, he was healthy and okay to carry on with the game as well.
In the seventy sixth minute, the referee and video referee paused the game to have a look at a potential try for the Red Devils but fortunately for the Broncos, the officials decided that Cross knocked the ball on from an initial tip for the try to be scored. The Broncos then responded instantly with an excellent fifty metre break from Miloudi. Miloudi offloaded to Macani, who then chipped the ball into the middle of the field but unfortunately, straight into Salford hands.
This was the final attack for the Broncos as the Red Devils kept hold of the ball until the final blow of the whistle.
Full time- 4-12.
Referee: Aaron Moore
Half time- 4-6
Full time- 4-12
London Broncos
1) Alex Walker, 2) Lee Kershaw, 21) Robbie Storey, 4) Hakim Miloudi, 5) Iliess Macani, 20) Oli Leyland, 7) James Meadows, 19) Rhys Kennedy, 9) Sam Davis, 8) Rob Butler, 11) Will Lovell, 29) Jacob Jones, 15) Marcus Stock
Interchanges: 13) Dean Parata, 16) Jordan Williams, 33) Harvey Makin, 34) Ugo Tison
Try’s: Iliess Macani (19).
Conversions: Leyland 0/1
Sin-bins: Lovell (49)
Red cards: None
Salford Red Devils
1) Ryan Brierley, 2) Ethan Ryan, 3) Bosam Macdonald, 4) Timoteo Lafai, 5) Deon Cross, 6) Cade Cust, 7) Marc Sneyd, 17) Jack Ormondroyd, 24) Joe Meller, 10) King Vuniyayawa, 15) Shane Wright, 12) Kallum Watkins, 13) Oliver Partington
Interchanges: 16) Joseph Shorrocks, 14) Cristopher Atkin, 27) Gil Dudson, 20) Andrew Dixon
Try’s- Kallum Watkins (25), Deon Cross (44)
Conversions: Sneyd 2/2
Sin-bins: None
Red Cards: Vuniyayawa (55)
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