London Broncos finding Super League challenge brutal after 10th straight loss

London Broncos chalked up an unwanted 10th defeat of the Super League season as they lost 46-8 at Leeds Rhinos at the weekend.

The Plough Lane-based club were always expected to find the adaptation to the top flight difficult and they have lost all their fixtures.

Ethan Natoli and Robbie Storey scored Broncos’ consolation tries. The South Londoners are bottom of the 12-club table and the only team yet to collect a victory along with having a minus-312 points difference.

Broncos head coach Mike Eccles, pictured top, said: “Last week there were fundamentally system failures within our defence which got exposed. We fixed them up, they weren’t there this week, and then it was individual missed tackles that absolutely destroyed us.

“Individual clock offs – if you look at play four or five for the tries they scored, how many were around the back end of sets when we think the job is done? It’s not and we concede the points.

“It’s nice to get a couple of tries but it is disappointing because we know how much pressure they were under – I probably didn’t understand the extent of it until later in the week (leading up).

Picture by Allan McKenzie/SWpix.com – 03/05/2024 – Rugby League – Betfred Super League Round 10 – Leeds Rhinos v London Broncos – AMT Headingley, Leeds, England – Leeds’ Sam Lison is tackled by London’s Rhys Kennedy & Marcus Stock.

“We spoke about how hard and physical they were going to come out after getting booed off last week – which probably made the job even harder for us. That really spiked them, didn’t it?

“We knew if we could ride that out and put some pressure on them – be in the game at half-time – then it would be tough for them and we’d grow into the game.

“When we concede that try and kick on the last play, just before half-time, it’s a killer. A missed tackle and a missed assignment marker straight into the second half and the game is over.

“We won’t throw the towel in, simple as that. You won’t see that – ever. It’s just players and a Championship squad adjusting in tough times in the Super League. The learns tonight are you cannot clock off play four and five when you think the job is done – and you’ve got to make tackles.

“Ethan Natoli is probably at 60 per cent and he was outstanding. He missed a tackle at the end – he was absolutely gassed. I didn’t expect to bring him on as early as I did and he was fantastic.

“He is massive for us and once he and Sid (Sadiq Adebiyi) get their game legs and Lewis Bienek is back in the fold then we will certainly have a stronger squad to select from.”

PICTURES: LONDON BRONCOS/SWPIX

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