Preview: 2024 Super League Round 17: London Broncos vs Castleford Tigers

James Booth • 11 July 2024

The London Broncos have their ninth Super League home game of the 2024 season on Friday as we face off against Castleford Tigers for the second time this season. When the Broncos and Tigers met earlier this season (Round 9) in Castleford, the home side finished the game 40-0 victors. Check out the video below to see the highlights of our earlier matchup in April. The Broncos have taken on Castleford at home on 26 occasions, with London picking up 7 wins and scoring 548 total points. Click here to read the full in-depth history of the Castleford Tigers vs London Broncos fixture.


The Broncos have had a difficult 2024 Super League campaign so far, winning 1 game vs Hull FC (34-18, click here to read the full match report) & losing 14 games to St Helens (40-4, click here to read the full match report), Catalans Dragons (0-34, click here to read the full match report) Hull FC (28-24, click here to read the full match report), Wigan Warriors (22-60, click here to read the full match report), Warrington Wolves (4-58, click here to read the full match report), Huddersfield Giants (6-26, click here to read the full match report), Hull KR (50-10, click here to read the full match report), Salford Red Devils (4-12, click here to read the full match report), Castleford Tigers (40-0, click here to read the full match report), Leeds Rhinos (46-8, click here to read the full match report), Hull KR (14-64, click here to read the full match report), Salford Red Devils (34-4, click here to read the full match report), St Helens (6-52, click here to read the full match report), Wigan Warriors (36-0, click here to read the full match report) & losing out in Golden Point Extra Time to Leeds Rhinos (17-16, click here to read the full match report). The Broncos currently sit 12th in the Super League with a points difference of -459.


Castleford Tigers have also played sixteen games so far this season and are currently sat in 10th place after winning 4 (24-36 vs Salford Red Devils, 40-0 vs London Broncos, 30-22 vs Hull FC & 6-8 vs St Helens), losing 11 (4-32 vs Wigan Warriors, 26-22 vs Salford Red Devils, 30-8 vs Warrington Wolves, 8-50 vs Huddersfield Giants, 40-14 vs Catalans Dragons, 6-26 vs Leeds Rhinos, 36-14 vs Wigan Warriors, 4-60 vs St Helens, 32-4 vs Leeds Rhinos 8-10 vs Wigan Warriors & 12-13 vs Hull KR) & drawing 1 (28-28 vs Leigh Leopards) games so far this season.


Speaking ahead of tomorrow’s fixture, Broncos director of Rugby & Performance Mike Eccles says ““It’s been a brisk turnaround. A six day one, and with the travel as well so we just had to respect that at the start of the week and make sure that the boys were recovered. 


“We are fighting fit, we practically have everyone fit other than the long standing one with Bill (Leyland) and Dan Hoyes has got a tweak in his calf but other than that we’re fully fit.


“There was obviously an emotional dip after the game, wasn't there after the physical and emotional output which went into it. We’ve made sure we’ve recovered from that for 48 hours after the game and we’ve gently lent into the week ready for tomorrow as it’s important that we make sure that’s the new us. We have had a lot of meetings, a lot of time together talking about what we want to stand for for the backend of this season. Have we learnt from the games that have gone before or have we not learnt? That was the question that was posed to them. 


“It was a vast improvement in terms of performance. It was the best performance of the year in terms of an 80 minute performance. The Hull game, obviously we got the result there, but in terms of an 80 minute performance that was probably the best we’ve been. It’s really important that we stick to that performance level and that’s what we will be looking to do tomorrow.”


See the full interview with Mike here:

Ahead of our return to Ebbsfleet we also caught up with Kent born Rob Butler who says “It’s a really good one. It’s an exciting game as it is whether it’s local or not. It’s a great ground, we have a good record there in previous years so hopefully we can carry that record through.


“(The good record) is something you’re aware of. It’s not something we think about- you just have to turn up on the day whether it’s at Wimbledon or Ebbsfleet it doesn’t matter but the fact that it is Ebbsfleet hopefully we can continue that record.


“(Castleford) have come on leaps and bounds but we’d like to think we’ve done the same. We know the results haven’t reflected that but there has been a lot of learning curves. We believe we can win it, we wouldn’t be going out there otherwise!”


See the full interview with Rob here:

Please see below the Broncos 21-man squad ahead of tomorrow’s game:

Please see below the Castleford 21-man squad ahead of tomorrow’s game:

Ways to watch/listen to the game!

TV: Super League+ & Sky Sports Arena!


Live match updates: Twitter (@londonbroncosrl)


Buy your tickets here!!!

by James Booth 27 April 2025
MATCH REPORT- HALIFAX PANTHERS 40-12 LONDON BRONCOS It was a difficult afternoon for the Broncos as they were comfortably defeated by a free flowing & confident Halifax Panthers side. Despite the increased effort in the second half, it wasn’t enough to be able to close the gap on the sizeable margin which Halifax had placed on London in the first half. The afternoon began with Alex Walker kicking to Halifax from left to right. Unfortunately, before fans had the chance to settle themselves in their seats, Halifax had already put points on the scoreboard. In the third minute, the Panthers had their first big break of the game through the middle of the field and the ball found itself in the hands of Charlie Graham who was able to score the first try of the afternoon and with Jouffret’s successful conversion, the score became Halifax 6-0 London Broncos. After a five minute period of back and forth play by both sides, which included a powerful Marcus Stock run into the Panthers’ half, the home side struck once more with another break. On this occasion, it was Jouffret who exploited a defensive hole on the left hand side of the pitch and with just the fullback to beat, he was able to pass to James Woodburn-Hall who scored his first try of the afternoon virtually uncontested. A second Jouffret conversion made the score Halifax 12-0 London Broncos after just eight minutes. The third try of the afternoon for the home side came from pure intensity and power. A number of explosive runs by the Panthers forwards through the London defence placed the Broncos in a vulnerable position and Adam O’Brien took advantage of his opportunity by scoring the try on the right hand side of the posts. With the straight forward positioning of the tee, Jouffret was able to add the extras relatively easily, and the score became Halifax 18-0 London Broncos- not a good position to be in just fifteen minutes into the game. Heading into the twentieth minute, the Broncos were the master of their own downfall once more as Tangata utilised his athleticism to not only break through a number of Broncos attempted tackles but then was able to take the ball down the field and pass to Woodburn-Hall who was able to score his second try of the afternoon. Halifax 24-0 London. From this point until the thirtieth minute, it would be a fair assessment to say that Halifax dominated. A confident home side, swiftly moving the ball from one side of the pitch to the other, were able to march the ball down the field. However, with a couple of miscues including an attempted pass which went out of bounds & a couple of dropped balls, allowed the Broncos to keep Halifax at bay. This was the case up until the thirtieth minute, where Calcott was able to find another space in the defence and tucked himself in to score. Halifax 30-0 London. HALF TIME: HALIFAX PANTHERS 30-0 LONDON BRONCOS With the second forty minutes beginning, it was clear to see that London wanted to put right their wrongs of the first half; the team attacked with purpose and with the objective of putting some points of their own on the scoreboard. However, it was clear to see that there was issues with the execution of the Broncos, and mistake after mistake allowed Halifax to overcome the early threat. The next big mistake for the Broncos came after Polselli failed to keep hold of the high kick on the fifth, gifting Halifax a scrum in dangerous position which Tangata then proceeded to take advantage of as he scored the team’s sixth try of the afternoon. Halifax 34-0 London. From here until the sixtieth minute, there was a real spring in the step of London who looked like a different team to who had played in the first half. If you were watching the game, you could make the argument that Bienek being reintroduced to the field was a big factor of this. His powerful line breaks and impressive offload ability marched the Broncos deep into the Halifax half, which was then taken advantage of by Polselli, who exploited a gap in the middle of the park to score London’s first points of the day. Halifax 34-6 London. Just three minutes later, the Broncos found themselves with even more points on the board as Bienek, once again, powered his way through the defence from the restart and offloaded to Adebiyi who was able to drive the ball into the Halifax half. Once the Broncos were on the fifth, the high kick was gathered by Polselli who was able to make the offload to Walker who could score under the posts. A second successful conversion for the visitors made the score Halifax 34-12 London. London seemed like a different side entirely after these two try’s and pushed hard to score a third. However, after multiple penalties against Halifax, Polselli dropped the ball just inches away from the try line and Halifax were able to restore balance to the game. This balance was taken advantage of by Halifax late in the game as Tangata made a massive break down the blindside of the field, shrugging off two Broncos tacklers before eventually being brought down by Alex Walker. Halifax then got the ball to the other side of the field effortlessly, where Charlie Graham was able to score a try and put the icing on the cake for the home side, cementing a solid & convincing victory. FULL TIME: HALIFAX PANTHERS 40-12 LONDON BRONCOS
by Jake Watson 26 April 2025
MATCH PREVIEW: Mike Eccles looks ahead to Halifax trip London Broncos Director of Rugby & Performance Mike Eccles has described the weekend trip to Halifax as the toughest test yet. Halifax are the league leaders after 7 rounds of the Championship season meanwhile the Broncos are still searching for that first away win of the season. Mike has also offered an update on the current injuries within the squad in this weeks match preview. #WeAreLondon
by Jake Watson 25 April 2025
HALF-PRICE ADULT TICKETS! London Broncos are offering half-price adult tickets for the upcoming home game against York Knights on May 3rd (5pm KO). To access this offer simply click the pop-up icon on the REEL below. #WeAreLondon
by Jake Watson 25 April 2025
SQUAD ANNOUNCEMENT: Halifax Panthers vs London Broncos Mike Eccles has selected a 19-man squad for the Round 8 Championship tie at Halifax Panthers on Sunday. Louix Gorman remains with the group after joining from Hull KR last week meanwhile Emmanuel Waine who has rejoined on loan from Bradford Bulls also comes straight into the squad. Aaron Small also rejoins the squad after being unavailable last week. Dropping out this week is Jenson Binks (HIA) and Sam Winney (jaw). #WeAreLondon
by Jake Watson 25 April 2025
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by Jake Watson 24 April 2025
LUKE POLSELLI MATCH PREVIEW London Broncos take on the league leaders Halifax on Sunday looking to win at The Shay for the first time since 2016. Luke Polselli is set to play once again as he looks to build on his own good form since joining the club in the off-season. The Italian international has been playing in the halves this season showing his versatility and even moved into full-back against Barrow. To watch the full pre-match preview click the link below.
by Jake Watson 24 April 2025
MATCH PREVIEW: Halifax Panthers vs London Broncos London Broncos will be looking to upset the odds on Sunday when they make the trip to the league leaders Halifax Panthers in round 8 of the Championship season. Kyle Eastmond’s side have been somewhat of a surprise package so far this season winning 6 of their opening 7 games to lead at this early stage. The Broncos meanwhile, have had an indifferent start with Mike Eccles operating with one of the smallest squads in the division. Last week Broncos came out on the wrong side of the battle at Barrow, another side who are fighting at the top end so far. It was a game that came at an extra cost as Jenson Binks and Sam Winney picked up injuries that will rule them out for this weekend at the very least.
by Jake Watson 24 April 2025
MATCH SPONSOR: Resilient Roofing to sponsor York game London Broncos are delighted to announce Resilient Roofing will be our match sponsors for the upcoming home game with York Knights at The Cherry Red Records Stadium. To find out more about Resilient Roofing - CLICK THIS LINK! Thank you for your support and we hope you enjoy your afternoon with us! We would also like to take this opportunity to remind supporters of the exclusive offer from Resilient Roofing. As one of the club’s Sponsor, Resilient Roofing & Property Maintenance Ltd have kindly offered exclusive discount for all 2025 London Broncos membership and season ticket holders on *any roofing work: - 10% off for 40/20 Membership Holders - 20% off for Season Ticket Holders *Orders must match the name associated with membership or season ticket If you are interested in sponsoring a game with us follow the button below. #WeAreLondon
by Jake Watson 24 April 2025
Dave Williams in the ‘Legends Lounge’ London Broncos are delighted to welcome Dave Williams into the ‘Legends Lounge’ for our upcoming home game against York Knights on Saturday, May 3rd. The former prop is a London Rugby League legend after progressing through the then Harlequins RL academy into the first team before playing for both London Skolars and London Broncos.
by Rick Jones 23 April 2025
Narrow losses in the later stages of the competition for Langley Park, Dorothy Stringer and St James in great matches played in St Helens, Hull and Whitehaven.
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