Broncos 9s Make It Through To Final

20th June 2012, 16:24

The London Broncos 9s side sealed their place in the Grand Finals of the Rugby League 9s competition which take place at Headingley on July 26. They needed just one victory in the final round of fixtures at the City of Salford Stadium on Tuesday to clinch their place and made the perfect start with a 16-8 victory over hosts Salford City Reds.

After qualifying for Finals Night for the first time, they took their foot off the gas and slid to defeats by Widnes and Gloucester but it couldn't take the gloss of their achievements. Mick Howell, head coach of the under-20, who has been overseeing the 9s, was delighted with the effort of his young players.

“They have done really well and to make the finals is an achievement in itself. The travel makes it difficult, especially as a lot of these players have other commitments and exams, so to get through has been a credit to them.

“At Salford we had to promote a few more of the 18s and they slotted in fantastically well. Harvey Burnett is one of the younger lads who has done exceptionally well. He made his debut at Aldershot with a last minute call up and has gone on to be involved in all but one round of fixtures.

“They’re looking forward to it (the final). There was a lot of pressure on them and the finals were probably on their minds but they played fairly well and in the end, did enough."

The Broncos join seven other teams in the finals: Wakefield, Leeds, Hull KR, Featherstone, Wigan, Warrington and Cumbria.