London Broncos have lost international winger Paul Ulberg to the team they defeated in the Championship Grand Final Toulouse Olympique.
This is a blow to the Broncos after a series of positive steps forward such as signing Rhys Kennedy as well as keeping former Wakefield Trinity fullback Alex Walker.
But they won’t have Cook Islands international Ulberg next year as he takes up a contract in France for the 2024 season.
Born in 1995 in the New Zealand capital of Auckland, Paul was trained at the New Zealand Warriors Club. He played his first professional season in 2015 with the Warriors’ reserves in the New South Wales Cup (antechamber of the NRL, the best league in the world).
The following year, he signed with the Brisbane Norths, a club playing in the tough Queensland competition. The winger played 42 games and scored 19 tries. In 2021, he signed with the Sunshine Coast for one season before flying to Europe.
After the 2021 World Cup in England with the Cook Islands, which he played alongside Reubenn Rennie and Dominique Peyroux, where he scored 1 try, Paul signed with the London Broncos. Widely used, he played 50 games and scored 27 tries in two seasons. He played a major role in keeping the Championship in 2022 and promoting London to the Super League.
On signing for Toulouse, he said: “I would like to thank Toulouse for this opportunity. I’m here to give my best, work hard and help this team succeed. I’m looking forward to contributing in any way I can and working with my new teammates.”
They have have also re-signed hooker Calum Gahan for next year. Arriving in the Pink City to start the 2023 season with the group, Calum injured his ankle the week before the opening match against Barrow. The hooker missed the first 9 games of the season and returned to action in May against Swinton. Since then, the number 9 has not missed a single game and has greatly contributed to the team’s great run to the final.
