London Broncos will have to wait to get their first game of the 2026 season underway, with their pre-season friendly against Keighley Cougars cancelled.
As with a number of warm-up and Challenge Cup matches over the weekend, the UK weather has claimed another two victims, and of the eight scheduled matches that are set to be played today, two have been called off.
In what was set to be the Broncos’ first game game under Jason Demetriou, following his appointment as head coach by Darren Lockyer and Grant Wechsel, the former Souths boss will be forced to head into the Championship campaign without a prior fixture under their belt, which could make their start to the season that little bit harder.
Keighley, meanwhile, have already played a pre-season game, with that match coming before Christmas. They narrowly lost out to Sheffield Eagles, but since that contest the club has seen a huge change of leadership, with former head coach Alan Kilshaw leaving the club.
He has departed to join Oldham RLFC, whilst assistant boss Danny Burton has stepped into the interim role. In what was circumstances that the club would have rather avoided, Burton does believe the squad can react well, despite the news.
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London Broncos fixture one of two pre-season matches to be called off
Alongside the Broncos-Cougars bout, the fixture between Batley Bulldogs and Sheffield Eagles has been cancelled. The pitch at Batley’s Fox’s Biscuits Stadium has frozen over, and deemed unplayable, with the decision being made to call off the fixture on Friday.
As it stands, there are three warm-up matches still going ahead today, with Goole Vikings, Doncaster RLFC and Workington Town hosting Rochdale Hornets, Bradford Bulls and Whitehaven respectively.
The Dons and the Bulls have confirmed their game will go ahead, but decisions will no doubt be made on the conditions of the pitch in the other two friendlies over the course of the morning.
Elsewhere, there are three games in the Challenge Cup still to be played, including Jake Connor’s Siddal who face Waterhead Warriors live on The Sportsman.
For a full list of the 2026 pre-season friendlies,click here.
👊 | GAMEDAY – and it’s GAME ON!
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📆 | 11/1/26
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🏟️ | Eco-Power Stadium#RunWithTheBulls pic.twitter.com/V3hIBGSPFc— Bradford Bulls (@OfficialBullsRL) January 11, 2026
