The last time I saw London Broncos against Bradford Bulls, it was the final game in Super League for both clubs, having already been relegated. Fans of either side might have hoped that they would be back in the top flight by now, but if Sunday’s fare at Trailfinders Sports Ground was anything to go by, London are the more likely to be in the Middle Eight play-offs later this summer but even their fans are not expecting to clinch promotion back to Super League. Despite being two of the four full-time teams in the Championship, neither looked likely to threaten the elite.

In a festival atmosphere on a mild sunny day that gave us a first impression of what summer rugby would be like at this wide open venue, London turned round a 8-14 half-time to rack up 22 points in front of the boisterous couple of hundred Bulls fans behind the posts. Bradford’s caretaker boss Matt Diskin described his side as “very poor in a lot of areas” and admitted that the new coach would have “a real task ahead of him with a very talented group of players lacking confidence”. Regardless of injuries, the Bulls no longer looks like a Super League side on paper, let alone on grass (or plastic in Ealing’s case). Former Hull KR centre Kris Welham (who scored two first-half tries), daring full-back James Clare and busy emergency scrum-half Danny Addy stood out amid the mediocrity.

London, with 10 wins and two narrow defeats (at leaders Leigh and Bradford by a combined 12 points), look much more a team. Playing up the slope in the second half, Bradford’s only score was a penalty, highlighting the one-sided nature of games at Ealing - literally. It’s the new Batley! In the three games I have seen there, 128 of the 166 points were scored downhill, although Broncos head coach Andrew Henderson said he has hardly noticed the slope, and hasn’t factored it into preparations.

Either way, he is rightly proud of a side that, with a dozen games gone, has yet to pass the 200 mark in points conceded. “There was a big emphasis on defence in pre-season,” said Henderson. “We did a lot of contact work and spent a lot of time on our defensive structures and systems. We had nine or 10 new faces and we needed time to gel. We won some ugly games earlier in the season but now we are playing a lot better.”

London have now opened up a seven-point cushion between them and Batley, lying a place outside the play-offs. But with 11 games still to play, Henderson is not getting carried away. “I’m really proud of what they’ve done so far. They are a really humble group. We have a quiet confidence. We’re not arrogant or cocky. We’re not getting too comfortable. There’s a long way to go but this season was all about getting in the top four which gives us an opportunity to get promoted. With every win, expectations do get bigger but that’s the game. The pressure hasn’t changed.”

Although Sunday’s attendance of over 1,500 was London’s largest of the season, when fewer than 3,500 turned up at Odsal last home game it was the Bulls’ lowest league crowd for years. The pressure is certainly on whoever takes the reins at Odsal. Both clubs have been united in misery for the last five or six years, shrinking dramatically. The four-time Super League champions have lost around 10,000 fans, the Broncos moving from crowds of 4,000 to 400. But the feelgood factor is coming back for the men in black.

As Hull KR do not need reminding, being full-time doesn’t mean you always win. Full-time teams should be fitter, stronger, better organised and superbly prepared for what the opposition have to offer. But they do not have all the best players. An intelligent and gifted northern-based player with a strong parallel career can opt to remain part-time and take the best offer from several Championship clubs within an hour of home, thereby earning a combined salary from his day job and rugby that far outweighs what Bradford, Leigh, and in particular London and Sheffield can offer. Both Bradford and London need to take advantage of being full-time while they can.

Clubcall: Toronto Wolfpack

Whatever your thoughts about Toronto joining the third division next season, you would be hard pushed to criticise their launch. An extremely professional and slick-looking event took place in Toronto, featuring the Mayor on stage, was beamed live to West Yorkshire, where they will be based for most of next season. It had all the trappings of a major league launch. They are clearly keeping the reality of League One under wraps.

Paul Rowley and Brian Noble are soon to be joined by an impressive string of established Championship players, which should steamroller its way through League 1 in 2017, as Toulouse are now. Both clubs may well view League One as an extended pre-season, ahead of the real challenge in the Championship. Certainly, the Middle Eights in 2018 could be fun: Toulouse, Toronto, Hull KR, Wakefield, Leigh, London, Leeds…

Good luck whoever has to arrange transport and accommodation for those fixtures - and Toronto’s Challenge Cup ties - at a fortnight’s notice. But heed this warning from local sportswriter Scott Stinson of National Post, referring to the CFL’s Toronto Argonauts, who struggle despite being backed by millions of dollars: “One reason the Argonauts has failed to prosper here is the perception that the CFL is a second-rate league in town that turns up its nose at such things.” I hope the Wolfpack works but can’t see how it can.

Foreign quota

The NRL’s “Representative Weekend” begins on Saturday in Australia. It is no coincidence that the branding for this series of games resembles American sports’ All Star events, because that, as my colleague Steve Mascord of the Sydney Morning Herald pointed out, is exactly what it is. Rather than true national teams, we have a series of All Star XIIIs coming together.

First, Australia selected Fijian Semi Radrardra, who only qualifies via residency. This happens in other sports without a huge uproar. However, Semi was playing against Australia in the last World Cup semi-final! The ARL have also named Italy second rower Aiden Guerra and Samoa hooker Josh McGuire in their squad to face New Zealand in Newcastle on Friday.

Then NSWRL announced a Country Origin squad for Sunday that included Scotland centre Kane Linnett, Fiji forward Tariq Sims, Italy prop Paul Vaughan and Wales’ second row Tyson Frizzell. Yes, they are NSW Country boys who represented their family’s heritage at the last World Cup and we should not blame the players: after all, which of us would turn down five-figure fees and the potential to become a superstar in our field in favour of representing our roots for next to nothing?

We should not necessarily blame the RLIF, either: their eligibility rules are so complex because they want to enable players to represent the second tier nations without closing off all routes to the big three.

We could blame Australia, New Zealand and England for selecting players who have already played for minor nations, given how many other players they have to choose from. It’s certainly a bullyboy tactic that smacks of colonialism. However, if all three vowed not to pick anyone capped by Samoa, Fiji, Ireland etc, how many emerging talents would decide against representing those nations in the first place to stick it out for a call-up from the big three? Or would that be preferable to the current set-up?

And just to make things worse, England’s new coach Wayne Bennett is taking his role as league’s Alex Ferguson just a little too far, preventing Anthony Milford, his star half back at Brisbane Broncos, from playing for Samoa against Tonga on Saturday!

Goal-line drop-out

As you know, no helmets are required to play rugby league, but if you do wear one, at least make sure it’s in your club colours. On Sunday, Matt Davis wore a turquoise headguard for London Broncos (who were wearing all black) and on Thursday Ben Julien wore a French red and blue one while his Warrington team-mate Chris Hill was in black and yellow headgear. St Helens half Theo Fages scored an electrifying try against Leeds last week wearing a smart red and white-ish headguard and Ash Golding’s flowing locks were covered by a lime green and grey hat that matched the Rhinos’ remarkable away kit. And yet their team-mates Zak Hardaker and the returning Jonny Lomax - on opposing sides - were both wearing black head-guards. What a mess! It’s like watching Rugby Special in the eighties when a load of fat bankers waddled around in ill-matching shorts with pockets and odd socks on a mud-heap as Nigel Starmer-Smith got over-excited. Not a good look. Super League, get a grip.

Fifth and last

While London Broncos fans dare to dream of playing Leeds again as the Championship’s top two pull away and the bottom four in Super League drift away from the pack, has anyone noticed that little Swinton are only two wins off a berth in the Qualifiers? Under impressive young coach John Duffy, the Sale-based Lions struggled to adjust to the Championship but have now settled in and are in fantastic form. We are over halfway in the regular season and as it stands, bottom of the table Leeds, along with Huddersfield, Salford and Hull KR, look most likely to be playing Leigh and London, and two from Bradford, Halifax, Batley and Featherstone or even Swinton, in the Middle Eights. Whodathunkit?

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