Rugby Football League

National Championship

Sunday 3rd July 2022

Kick Off 15.00 Actual 15.03

London Broncos 36 Sheffield Eagles 28, attendance 550

@ Kuflink Stadium (Ebbsfleet United F.C.)

Stonebridge Road

Northfleet

DA11 9GN

£15 Admission, bought in advance online

No Programme.

This was an ’on the road’ game for the Broncos, as their home ground at A.F.C. Wimbledon is undergoing work on the pitch. They are aiming to play one game in Kent each season, in an effort to attract support and help spread the game in the South East, but there is just not the interest in Rugby League down here. Despite giving an attendance of 750 on their website, it was at least a couple of hundred fewer, although there may have been season tickets counted on the official total.

The first half performance of the Broncos was pitiful. They were simply dreadful and were lucky to only trail 0-28 at halftime, which would have been more, but Eagles failed to convert four of their six tries, which in the end cost them dearly. As bad as Broncos were first half, they were the total opposite in the second. Eagles only came close to adding to their score once in the second half and as Broncos started to run in the tries, the comeback certainly looked possible, if perhaps a little optimistic, but they went in front late on and even added a converted try in the final minute to complete a tremendous turnaround, taking a 36-28 win that few would have though possible at halftime.

I had visited Ebbsfleet United on Sunday 2nd January, when I saw them beat Dartford 1-0, which was after a gap of just over thirty years since my first visit and nothing has changed in the intervening six months. It is a fantastic stadium and remains one of my favourite non-league grounds ever visited.