Midlands Hurricanes taught tough lesson after receiving heavy home defeat against league leading Broncos

It was a tough afternoon at the office for Midlands Hurricanes as the leading leaders blew away the storm with a dominant display.

London Broncos scored 14 tries in a 78-16 win at Avery Fields, surpassing the 62 points they’d scored in the 1895 Cup semifinal, with Papua New Guinea international Gairo Voro scoring three tries.

The Hurricanes worked hard and did manage three tries of their own, but the gap between the part-time Hurricanes and full-time Broncos was evident throughout.

After an early spell of parity, Jack Croft’s try on seven minutes opened the floodgates, with three more tries following in a 10 minute spell, and while the home side did make some impact in attack, the Broncos were quicker at the play-the-ball and slicker with passes.

The home side were punished for handling errors and missed tackles as the Broncos scored three more tries, with fullback James Meadows having a productive day with the boot, but did manage to put points on the board through a Toby Warren try.

The halftime score of 38-6 was an ominous sign, but the Hurricanes did score first with Aidan McGowan touching down after a clever kick by Sully Medforth.

However, it was only a temporary respite as the greater fitness and experience of the away side saw the momentum switch firmly in their favour, with Voro completing his hattrick inside three minutes.

Five more Broncos tries followed through a mixture of missed tackles, brute force running and clever passing, with each try enthusiastically cheered by the sizeable away support.

The Hurricanes did have the last word, however, with captain Jon-Luke Kirby forcing his way over from close range, giving the home fans, which included members of Swadlincote, Shrewsbury and Leamington’s under-10 sides, something to cheer.

The final score of 78-16 was a disappointment for the home side, but also showed the gap between a side aspiring to play in Super League and a side on a different trajectory in terms of building a lasting legacy in the region.

Midlands Hurricanes will look to bounce back on Sunday, August 1 when they return to Avery Fields to take on Keighley Cougars in a game vital to hopes of making the end of season playoffs.

Midlands Hurricanes

1 Todd Horner

2 Matty Chrimes

31 Liam Sutcliffe

5 Luis Roberts

23 Aidan McGowan

30 James Woodburn-Hall

19 Sully Medforth

8 Jon Luke Kirby

9 Aiden Roden

10 Tyler Dickinson

11 Tom Wilkinson

21 Zach Jebson

20 Toby Warren

Subs (all used)

3 Ryan Johnson

16 Zeus Silk

17 Kieran Moran

26 Ethan Newboult

Tries: Warren (31), McGowan (44), Kirby (76)

Goals: Medforth 2/3

London Broncos

18 James Meadows

26 Neil Tchamambe

3 Robert Mathias

20 Brandon Webster-Mansfield

2 Elliot Wallis

23 Gairo Voro

7 Dean Hawkins

8 Reagan Campbell-Gillard

14 Finley Glare

16 Epel Kapinias

11 Luke Smith

12 Jack Croft

13 Siliva Havili

Subs (all used)

4 Alex Max

6 Connor O’Beirne

17 Marcus Stock

19 Ben Hursey-Hord

Tries: Croft (7), Wallis (10), Webster-Mansfield (14, 22), Tchamambe (17, 37), Voro (27, 53, 56), Hursey-Hord (50), Hawkins (62), Havili (66), Campbell-Gillard (68), Max (73)

Goals: Meadows 11/13, Voro 0/1