MATCH REPORT: London Broncos 4-58 Warrington Wolves

LONDON BRONCOS V WARRINGTON WOLVES (by David Ballheimer)

London Broncos (4) 4, Warrington Wolves (24) 58

London Broncos were given another harsh lesson in playing mistake-free rugby, especially in the opening dozen or so minutes of each half. Warrington Wolves punished the Broncos with three tries inside the first 12 minutes of each half, giving them a platform they really didn’t need.

For veteran Stefan Ratchford, who has tormented the Broncos as a full-back, centre and half-back, it was a world record-equalling day, converting the first eight and last of the Wolves’ 10 tries. That eighth kick was his 41st in a row, matching the all-time world record set by Liam Finn, Jamie Ellis and Rhys Martin, but it was his Super League record-setting 39th. 

The Wolves made a great start, forcing a goal-line drop out from their second set and finishing it off with a try from Adam Holroyd, converted by Ratchford. The next set, aided by a penalty, ended with Josh Thewlis scoring in the corner and it got worse for the Broncos in the 12th minute, with Josh Jones receiving treatment, the Wolves burst through the 12-man defence and Holroyd completed his double – the first two four-pointers of his career.

The Broncos were finally able to stop Warrington’s offence and they took heart from the small victory. And, when they asked questions of the Wolves defence in their red zone, they found it couldn’t answer Hakim Miloudi’s diagonal run to the corner. The centre, however, could not convert his try. If London had been able to score next, maybe the game might have gone in a different direction.

However, when Miloudi tried a grubber kick after 31 minutes, he ran into a defender and was knocked to the ground, out of the play. Full-back Matt Dufty gathered the bouncing and went on a searing 90-metre untouched run to the other end. Instead of possibly 18–10, it was 24–4.

London finished the first half on the attack and a fine tackle by Dufty on his opposite number Alex Walker kept the Scotland World Cup star from scoring. The second half could not have started worse for the Broncos, losing the ball inside their ten on the second tackle. Warrington were quick to pounce, Thewlis getting his second try of the afternoon. Five minutes later, Dufty made a dangerous break into London territory and after a couple of a last-ditch tackles the Wolves full-back burst through a hole on a diagonal run and he became the third Warrington player with two tries.

A last-tackle kick from Iliess Macani nearly brought Miloudi a second try but his dive onto the ball resulted in a knock-on, 20-metre restart and seven-tackle set for Warrington. They took full toll, almost inevitably and, on the last tackle, the ball was passed out to the right wing for Thewlis to complete his hat-trick.

Oli Leyland came on for Walker after Ratchford’s successful conversion and almost his first act was to pick up a loose ball and sprint 40 metres downfield all along the touchline. Maybe a step inside from Leyland might have kept the move going, but the cover tackle bundled him into touch. 

There is a sporting adage that goes, “you make your own luck”, and tries eight and nine came from kicks. First Leon Hayes’ grubber appeared to strike a defender’s leg before bouncing perfectly for prop James Harrison to pick up and, two steps later, score another try.

The last thing the Broncos needed was to defend a repeat set after a 40–20, but the kick from Sam Powell, from a stride inside the Warrington 40, rolled over the sideline 19 metres from the London line, so the Wolves got another set of six, starting in the red zone. After five tackles, a crafty inside pass from Ratchford allowed to Dufty to run on a diagonal line into the in-goal area to complete his hat-trick.

Ratchford had kicked four or five more difficult conversions than this attempt, but this shot drifted wide of the far upright. It would have been a world record. However, with nine minutes remaining, the half-back stepped out of one tackle and with another tackler hanging on for grim death, Ratchford stretched out a touched down for the Wolves’ 10th try. He converted it, of course, and it gave him 22 points for the game, two fewer than his try and 10-goal feat against the Broncos at Gillingham in 2013.

London did have one last chance to get a second try, but the Warrington defence stopped Will Lovell a couple of metres short of the line. At least, there were no more tries at the other either.

The Broncos will have a chance for instant revenge next week, with the Challenge Cup tie at Halliwell Jones Stadium.

London Broncos: 1 Alex Walker, 2, Lee Kershaw, 3 Jarred Bassett, 4 Hakim Miloudi, 5 Iliess Macani, , 6 Jack Campagnolo 7 James Meadows. 8 Rob Butler, 31 Reiss Butterworth, 29 Jacob Jones, 11 Will Lovell, 30 Fenton Rogers, 13 Dean Parata. Replacements: 15 Marcus Stock, 16 Jordan Williams, 19, Rhys Kennedy, 20 Oli Leyland. 18th man: 9 Sam Davis. 

Tries: Miloudi (23)

Goals: Miloudi 0/1

Sin-bin: 

Warrington Wolves: 1 Matt Dufty, 2 Josh Thewlis, 3 Toby King, 20 Connor Wrench, 5 Matty Ashton, 4 Stefan Ratchford, 18 Leon Hayes, 8 James Harrison, 32 Sam Powell, 10 Paul Vaughan, 28 Adam Holroyd, 15 Joe Philbin, 17 Jordy Crowther. Replacements: 16 Zane Musgrove, 19 Joe Bullock, 29 Tom Whitehead, 34 Max Wood. 18th man: 13 Matty Nicholson.

Tries: Holroyd (5, 12), Thewlis (8, 41, 51), Dufty (32, 45, 66), Harrison (61), Ratchford (71)

Goals: Ratchford 9/10

Sin-bin: None

Referee: Liam Rush

HT: 4–24

Penalty awarded count: 3–2

Attendance: 3,324