MATCH REPORT 23.3.25

Photo by Adam Tate

Northern Championship Round 1: London Broncos vs Cardiff Demons

By William Elvin

Broncos settled for a draw on opening day after a chaotic comeback by Cardiff Demons cancelled out Nicole Kennedy’s first half hat-trick. 

London went into halftime up 22-6 in what was a rampage of an opening 40 minutes offensively. Kennedy scored two tries early on giving the home side a comfortable lead.

Demons had chances in  the beginning and were able to get on the scoresheet through Charlie Mundy, a two point conversion cut the lead to 10-6. The Broncos responded well and moments later Kennedy had her third try of the afternoon manoeuvring herself past Cardiff’s defence. 

Good spells of pressure continued throughout the first half with Becky Smart jogging half the length of the pitch to add a fourth and Lauren Mueller storming her way to the try line for a fifth.

Everything changed after the interval however, with Cardiff showing their quality. An instant try from Kaitlin Hubbert kickstarted the comeback as the Demons made amends for a quiet first half. 

Another try shortly after Hubbert’s gave the away side hope and Frances Layton touched down to make it 22-18 with 25 minutes left to play. 

Broncos had opportunities to extend their lead but were frustrated by a stubborn Cardiff defence and after a complete shift of momentum the visitors found their equaliser with a handful of minutes left on the clock. 

All totalled, both teams deserved something from this afternoon’s match, London will be disappointed to have thrown their lead away, but they will be proud with the impression left on familiar opponents. 

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Coming up next:

London Broncos vs Featherstone Rovers

Northern Championship Round 2

Sunday 30th March 2025

2pm at Chiswick RFC