Wandering London Broncos planning to set up home for good in Rugby Super League

Nomadic perhaps best sums up London Broncos’ existence since their formation as Fulham in 1980, coming and going from various homes and suffering an on-field decline in recent times.

Trying to convert Londoners to rugby league at places like the Valley, Griffin Park and the Stoop has often involved heads and brick walls.

The Broncos fell out of the top flight, along with Bradford Bulls, in 2014 and have struggled badly for crowds at Ealing Trailfinders RUFC.

Yet, they are now back in the big time, a rich reward for the commitment of long-standing owner David Hughes, a Mancunian who grew up watching Swinton before making his fortune as an oil trader.

Hughes, who joined the Broncos’ board in 1996 and became owner in 2001, has covered losses of up to £2million a year to keep the club afloat.

“The size of my overall investment makes me faint, but it must be in excess of £20m,” says Hughes.

“I should have retired many years ago, but I worked until I was 70 because I was conscious of what I was putting into the Broncos and didn’t want to rob the family pot.

“I’m 73 now and to be playing the likes of Leeds, St Helens and Wigan again means everything to me.

“As a club we’ve done it tough on very poor crowds — last season we were lucky to get 1,000 — but I’ve never considered throwing in the towel.

“My dearest wish now is that we double and possibly treble our gates. Ealing is a fantastic facility.”

When Andrew Henderson jumped ship for Warrington last season, Hughes promoted Danny Ward from assistant to head coach.

London lures star quality as Morgan signs loan deal

EXCLUSIVE

London Broncos have made an eye-catching swoop after signing St Helens centre Ryan Morgan on a season-long loan.

The Broncos are gearing up for their first Super League campaign since 2014 and Aussie star Morgan, 28, has linked up with Danny Ward’s squad as they prepare for life back in the big time.

Morgan, who arrived in England from Melbourne Storm on a three-year deal at the start of 2017, was a regular for Saints last season as they claimed the League Leaders’ Shield, making 21 appearances and scoring 12 tries.

Ward, the Broncos’ head coach, said: “Ryan will bring great experience to the squad for 2019. I am excited to get started with him in training now and looking forward to seeing him in a London shirt.”

Morgan said: “It’s exciting. London is an amazing city and I can’t wait now to get involved.”

The playing budget was cut and former Great Britain player Garry Schofield tipped the Broncos in print for a 10th-placed finish.

Yet, Ward took players with a point to prove, stirred in some homegrown spice and blended his side into a well-balanced, well-motivated force.

They finished second in the Championship to secure four home games in the Qualifiers, before an outstanding defensive effort saw them win 4-2 in Canada early last month against Toronto Wolfpack to win the Million Pound Game and promotion.

Ward said: “I was always confident we could achieve something special, but I can’t lie, I was pretty shocked with how well the season went.

“We had a lot of debuts for London kids, but many stayed in the team and became a big part of what we achieved.

“In the Million Pound Game, Alex Walker, Kieran Dixon, Will Lovell, Daniel Hindmarsh, Matt Davies and Rob Butler played, having all come through our system. As coaches and as a club it made us proud.”

Players such as Tony Clubb, Dan Sarginson, Louie McCarthy-Scarsbrook and Mike McMeeken rose to prominence at London before heading north to leading Super League clubs.

Another homegrown player, forward Matt Davis, recently joined Warrington, underlining the challenges the Broncos face in keeping their finest talent.

Ward and assistant Jamie Langley have nurtured many of the club’s best young players in a thriving youth development system.

Rob Powell, head of youth, says: “We now pick up a wider geographical spread of players from a greater number of community clubs, such as Eastern Rhinos in Colchester, Sussex Merlins, Oxford Cavaliers and Rutlish Raiders in Wimbledon.

“The standard of scholarship players is as strong as it has ever been and we’re producing lads who are capable of playing at academy level, which is the benchmark.

“This year, we signed 10 of our Under-16s into our academy and we’re looking for a good crop of those to push for Super League contracts from the U19s.

“All this probably reinforces the view that the game needs to look at players outside its northern heartlands, which in the grand scheme of things is a small pool.

“Others had talked about giving homegrown London lads a chance, but last season Wardy actually did it. What he achieved shouldn’t be underestimated.”

The Broncos have begun pre-season training and while their close-season player recruitment has so far been modest that was boosted by the arrival of Ryan Morgan this week from St Helens.

Survival for the club next season would represent an even greater feat than promotion in 2018.

Broncos are the bookies’ favourites to go down and are likely to be among the lower spenders in Super League this coming season.

Yet, positivity drips from Ward, who signed for the club as a player under Brian McDermott in 2008 and has remained in the capital ever since.

The gregarious 38-year-old from Dewsbury, who won a Grand Final with Leeds in 2004, said: “London is such a fantastic city and it’s great to have a Super League presence here again.

“I don’t want to just see the Broncos surviving, I want to make them one of the best clubs in the world.

“That has got to be the long-term vision. I might not be there to eventually oversee that, but hopefully we can get there as a club and a city.”

Ward’s squad lacks Super League experience, but captain Jay Pitts has played in the top flight for Wakefield, Leeds, Hull and Bradford.

In 2015, the 28-year-old back-rower was part of the Bradford side who lost at Wakefield in the inaugural Million Pound Game.

Last month’s victory in Toronto healed the scars for Pitts, who played every game for London this year.

“I always had that desire to get back to Super League and to achieve that after four years away feels unbelievable,” he said. “Sometimes winning a game of rugby comes down to simply who wants it more.

“When we were diving everywhere to stop Toronto scoring, we looked around and just knew we had each other’s backs. In the end it showed.”

That sort of resilience and collective desire will be needed at places like Headingley and the DW Stadium next year as the Broncos seek to defy the odds again.