Roughyeds earn big win over star-studded Broncos

Oldham produced a monumental performance to inflict a first defeat of the season on full-time London Broncos.

The Roughyeds went into the game against a London side that had scored almost twice as many points as them, but it was the Broncos who were left stunned at Boundary Park as Alan Kilshaw’s men secured one of Oldham’s finest victories in years.

The magnitude of the achievement should not be underestimated. London’s starting line-up boasted more than 400 NRL appearances, alongside 40 international caps for Australia, Tonga, Papua New Guinea and New Zealand.

For much of the season, London had swept aside almost every opponent put in front of them. But at Boundary Park, they came up against an Oldham side ready for the challenge. The Broncos twice took the lead, but were ahead for only a matter of minutes in total, with the Roughyeds producing a dominant display to deservedly take the points.

There were early signs that the Broncos were not quite at their usual best. In their second set, they rushed their kick on the final play before following it up with a lazy high shot, handing Oldham a penalty.

And Oldham were clinical.

Whereas the Broncos may have got away with such mistakes in previous weeks, Oldham punished them. Josh Drinkwater had provided the heroics with a last-gasp drop-goal the previous week and picked up where he left off, throwing a dummy to put the Roughyeds in front after just three minutes.

Back-to-back six-agains put the Broncos on the front foot and, shortly afterwards, Lewis Bienek used brute force to power his way over and bring London level.

Then came an almighty challenge from Alex Max on Jack Walker, who was shaping to send a pass out wide and put Oldham back in front. The hit jarred the ball loose, allowing Neil Tchamambe to race the length of the field and, instead, put the Broncos ahead.

But the floodgates remained firmly shut.

Drinkwater’s kick from the restart was allowed to bounce several times, earning Oldham a drop-out. In the ensuing set, the Aussie floated a pass out wide to Luke Forber – who started the season with North Wales Crusaders – and he produced another of his trademark finishes, diving over in the corner to level the game once again.

On the half-hour mark, more Broncos indiscipline allowed Oldham to regain the lead, with Morgan Smith making no mistake from the tee after London were caught offside.

It took until just before half-time for London to claw their way back in front. Elliot Wallis somehow escaped several challenges when he looked certain to be smothered, before racing over.

But once again, Oldham hit straight back. Drinkwater’s huge cross-field kick initially appeared to have been overcooked, sailing beyond everyone, but Ben O’Keefe was alert to the opportunity and pounced to score, making it 18-18 at the break.

Rather than London taking charge after a talking-to from coach Jason Demetriou, it was Oldham who came out firing in the second half and took the game to the Broncos.

Ted Chapelhow broke through and surged more than 30 metres, powering beyond a hapless Reagan Campbell-Gillard before being agonisingly hauled down just a metre short of the line. But the chance was far from gone. With London scrambling desperately to get back into position, the Roughyeds took full advantage, with Forber diving over in the corner for his second try of the afternoon.

A sublime exchange of passes between Josh Drinkwater and Matty Ashurst then opened up the London defence, with Ashurst releasing Jack Walker through the gap. Walker found Tom Forber on his inside, and the hooker finished the move to extend the Roughyeds’ lead.

London weren’t without their chances, but they were repeatedly frustrated by a fierce Roughyeds defence determined to keep them at bay.

Even beyond the hour mark, with Oldham holding a 10-point lead, there was a feeling the job was far from done. Roughyeds certainly weren’t settling, continuing to press forward in search of another score.

Drinkwater then lofted another kick into the danger zone and, when Neil Tchamambe failed to deal with it, Jake Bibby pounced to give Oldham some much-needed breathing room.

Desperation began to creep in for London, their short kick restart failing to travel the required 10 metres. The Broncos still believed they could salvage something and, after sustained pressure, Ben Hursey-Hord found a way over beneath a sea of Oldham shirts.

Still, Oldham maintained their two-score lead, leaving the Broncos in need of some magic. With a two-time Rugby League World Cup winner and 245-game NRL veteran in their ranks, they had the pedigree to produce it.

Instead, Reagan Campbell-Gillard was reduced to a basic error, fumbling at the play-the-ball well inside his own half.

And that was that: the Roughyeds had toppled London, bringing the Broncos’ remarkable run of 21 consecutive victories to an end.