London Broncos have suffered a massive blow after their pre-season friendly against Castleford Tigers and ahead of the new Super League season.
Though the friendly was very encouraging as the Broncos drew with the Tigers who were widely expected to win comfortably, the outcome of the game has been hugely damaging.
Within the game, London star Bill Leyland suffered an ACL injury. The hooker will now miss the entirety of the season.
The Broncos are clearly not happy with the situation and suggested that there are working with the powers that be around the tackle.
London Broncos Director of Rugby & Performance Mike Eccles explained the situation: “We are devastated to say Bill Leyland is out for the season.
“We are working through that now with the powers that be around the tackle at Castleford. We are just devastated for Bill, I think we all knew internally at the club that he was going to set the competition alight this year.
“It’s important that we get around him as a club, all the boys, all the staff. We’ll give him the best treatment possible, like we do here. The best surgery possible.
“He’s done his ACL and we just have to move on with it and do our best for him.”
London hoping for similar display to Castleford Tigers clash
London Broncos v Toulouse Olympique Picture by John Clifton/SWpix.com – 27/05/2023 – Rugby League – Betfred Championship Summer Bash – London Broncos v Toulouse Olympique – LNER Community Stadium, York, England – London Broncos celebrate the win York England
London Broncos conclude pre-season against Oldham. Oldham finished 4th in League One in 2023 with a record of 12 wins, 5 losses and 1 draw in 18 games. Oldham have already played two other games in pre-season, beating fellow League one side Keighley Cougars 46-10 on boxing day, followed by a 24-20 victory over championship side Halifax at Boundary Park in the first round of the 1895 cup.
The Broncos have played against Oldham RLFC 30 times, winning 17 of these games & the last 13 in a row, most recently a 30-20 win on the 1st of August 2021. This final runout ahead of the regular season is certainly a great opportunity for the Broncos to put some of their hard work from the training ground into practice and to build some confidence for their first Super League matchup of the year vs St Helens in two weeks.
The Broncos have already had two other pre-season games in 2024 against Castleford Tigers, where they drew 14-14, and Huddersfield Giants, where they lost 50-16.
