Championship Grand Final: London Broncos face Toulouse for Super League spot
- Published
London Broncos were Super League mainstays between 1996 and 2014, but their sole top-flight campaign over the past nine years came in 2019
Betfred Championship Grand Final: Toulouse Olympique v London Broncos | |
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Venue: Stade Ernest-Wallon, Toulouse Date: Sunday, 15 October Kick-off: 14:30 BST |
London Broncos travel to Toulouse Olympique in the Championship Grand Final on Sunday, with promotion to Super League at stake.
The Broncos last played in the top flight in 2019, when they were relegated on points difference, while the French side are aiming for an immediate return to Super League.
The outcome of the match could have a huge impact on the future of the club game, as whoever comes up will not be automatically relegated at the end of next season - even if they were to finish bottom of the table.
The composition of Super League in 2025 and beyond is yet to be decided, with management company IMG working with the Rugby Football League to maximise the sport's growth.
Off-field factors including geography, stadium facilities, potential fanbase and engagement will be taken into account before deciding which clubs will be granted top-flight licences.
The Londoners were seen as underdogs heading into the play-offs after finishing fifth in the table - three places and six points below Toulouse - but director of rugby and performance Mike Eccles has been confident of their chances of challenging for promotion all season.
"People seem surprised that we have done what we've done, but there has been no surprise in-house," Eccles told BBC Radio London.
"We are very confident in our abilities.
"I'd like to have gone under the radar right until the death, until after the last game of the year, but the cat is out the bag that we have got good players and we are a good team.
"I am pleased for the players because they deserve that credit. They are better than what was being written about them, in terms of where we finished in the league table."
The Broncos were Super League mainstays from 1996 until 2014, but at times endured both financial struggles and an itinerant existence involving several ground moves.
Now tenants of League Two club AFC Wimbledon on Plough Lane, the south-west London side reached the Grand Final with two big away wins, triumphing 42-0 at Sheffield Eagles in a play-off eliminator before a 36-26 victory at table-topping Featherstone Rovers in the semi-finals.
Super League 'needs London'
Broncos captain Will Lovell was part of the squad relegated from Super League on points difference four years ago
Given the criteria suggested by IMG regarding the future composition of Super League, following a game-wide consultation, the winners of Sunday's match at Stade Ernest-Wallon have a chance to become established in the top flight.
Both promotion hopefuls would help the game attract more attention from outside its traditional heartland in the M62 corridor - the Broncos offering a setting in the English capital, while Toulouse could provide increased exposure, including an improved TV rights deal, in France alongside Catalans Dragons.
"I think a French derby would be good for the competition but I still think the best bet is London back in Super League, to spread the viewing figures across the country and give some variety to the competition as well," Eccles said.
"I'd be devastated if we don't get the result but I'd be really pleased for Toulouse. I've got a lot of time for them, their coach Sylvain [Houles] and their playing group."
Former Great Britain coach Brian Noble believes either club would boost Super League's appeal, but that having a top-flight side based in London would be his preference.
"If we are genuine in our aspiration of having a competition which appeals to the whole country, then we do need London," he told BBC Radio 5 Live's rugby league podcast.
"When you think of all the talent that has come through the ranks from London, and the amount of people in that city we could get access to - and turn young athletes into rugby league players - I think London is vitally important.
"I don't think we can afford not to have a footprint in London."
Award winners and performing on the road
Mike Eccles has helped transform London Broncos' fortunes since his appointment as director of rugby and performance in September last year, following a spell in interim charge
One marker of the Broncos' achievements this season came when the club swept the board at the Rugby League Awards Night in Manchester on Tuesday.
Loose forward Dean Parata was named Championship player of the year, alongside Halifax Panthers' Lachlan Walmsley, hooker Bill Leyland picked up the young player of the year award and Eccles was crowned coach of the year.
"It is a good reflection of where we are at as a group," captain Will Lovell told BBC Radio London.
"We are buzzing for all three of them. They fully deserve the accolades.
"We have been building and the collective goal is to finish it off and get back into Super League."
Toulouse and London Broncos have faced each other three times already this year, with the French side winning 52-0 at home in April and Broncos triumphing 14-10 at the Summer Bash in May and 22-6 in Ebbsfleet in July.
"We have got to respect Toulouse as they are a very tough opponent," Broncos utility man Ethan Natoli told BBC Radio London.
"We had a tough away game to them earlier this year but we did that with Featherstone as well. We went up there last week and showed we can turn that around, and hopefully we can duplicate that this weekend."
The Broncos do have previous in going abroad to win promotion, via what was previously dubbed the Million Pound Game, triumphing 4-2 at Toronto Wolfpack in Canada in 2018.
"I've never played in a game apart from that one where neither team has scored a try," full-back Alex Walker said.
"Hopefully it's not that tense and that close [in Toulouse], but it is a final so anything can happen.
"Everyone wants to play at the top level, and to get another opportunity in London is what I want to achieve."