Betfred Championship R17: London vs Sheffield Preview

02/07/2022

Sheffield Eagles will aim to get back to winning ways in the Betfred Championship when they travel to Ebbsfleet to face London Broncos tomorrow. 

With three losses from four games last month, the Eagles will be chasers in the playoff race and can’t afford many more slip-ups. 

Meanwhile, the Broncos - who have confidence from keeping their heads above the relegation zone currently - will want to start breathing more easily as Dewsbury and Workington look to escape from the bottom two positions. 

Last Time Out

London came very close to a victory over Widnes Vikings but the capital club were edged out 26-22.

Mike Eccles’ men led 10-22 at the break but had a scoreless second half, which the Vikings capitalised on. 

Tries for the visitors came courtesy of Siti Moceidreke, Iliess Macani and a Dean Parata brace. 

Widnes got on the scoresheet through Sam Wilde and Kieran Dixon. 

In the second half, the Vikings had Danny Craven, Joe Edge and Ryan Ince to thank as the game was turned on its head and London went back down south licking their wounds. 

Sheffield had a tough afternoon at the office against a Leigh Centurions side who were lethal in the second half.

The Eagles lost 4-58 at the Olympic Legacy Park, with Jason Bass scoring the hosts’ only try of the evening. 

Key Battle - Brock Pelligra | Anthony Thackeray

Since joining the Broncos after winning the French Elite 1 competition with Carcassonne, half-back Brock Pelligra has been a breath of fresh air and helped the club out of the relegation zone. 

Pelligra, who is an Italian international, was exactly what London needed as they looked to replace Dane Chisholm after the Featherstone man was recalled by the West Yorkshire club before being snapped up by Keighley Cougars.

Coach Eccles will be looking to Pelligra to lead the team around the park and put the Eagles in tough situations deep in their own half. 

Meanwhile, the Eagles will be relishing the return of Anthony Thackeray who missed the Leigh game through illness. 

Thackeray, who is the club captain and in his final year of rugby league before retiring, has been in inspired form throughout 2022. 

15 tries in 17 games in all competitions, with a shedload of assists thrown in there too. If Sheffield return to South Yorkshire triumphant on Sunday, this man will have been at the heart of it. 

Tickets

Tickets can be purchased from the London Broncos website and the game will be played at Ebbsfleet’s Kuflink Stadium rather than Wimbledon’s Cherry Red Records Stadium, where the Broncos have played all of their home games up to now. 

By Dan Fowler, graphic by Alex Coleman