Fight to keep Broncos in London
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Your support makes all the difference.The future of professional rugby league in London hangs in the balance, with Sir Richard Branson's Virgin group looking to unload their majority shareholding.
Leigh, who failed to win promotion to Super League, want to buy the shares and move the London Broncos to the game's heartlands, but the mood in the game favours a buy-out by the club's landlords, Charlton Athletic.
"We have been approached by a number of people and one of those approaches would involve relocating to the north," said the Broncos' spokesman, Chris Warren. "It is far too early to assume that will take place, but there should be an announcement about the future within the next 10 days."
Warren also denied that Virgin, who have suffered heavy losses since taking over the club, were ready to pull the plug. "They are looking at their options, but I'm pretty sure they will want to stay with us," he said.
They see matters rather differently at Leigh, where the Broncos' plight has re-opened the prospect of the Super League place that escaped them when they lost to Widnes in the Northern Ford Premiership play-offs. Leigh would hope to relocate the Broncos and retain Virgin as backers, but would not give details of their proposals yesterday.
Even if Virgin did sell out to Leigh, the Lancashire club would face obstacles before it could take the merged operation into Super League. "Any new entrant into Super League requires the approval of the other member clubs at a general meeting," said the Super League's spokesman, Andrew Whitelam.
There is alarm within the organisation at the prospect of losing its presence in the capital – a blow that would be far more damaging than the loss of other outposts in Paris, Gateshead and Sheffield. Among the plans to try to preserve the Broncos is one for clubs to let them have affordable young players on extended loans, enabling them to reduce their dependence on expensive southern hemisphere imports.
Warrington, already planning for next season, yesterday signed Penrith's Matthew Rodwell as their new scrum-half and captain, re-signed their Welsh international back-rower, Dean Busby, and decided to give the Papua New Guinean, Tom O'Reilly, a debut against Leeds tonight.
Leeds, needing a point to be mathematically certain of making the play-offs, could have Ryan Sheridan, Karl Pratt and Andy Hay fit, whilst Bradley Clyde could also return.
In the game that could decide the league leadership going into the play-offs, Wigan have Matthew Johns and Steve Renouf back in action against Bradford and Kris Radlinski playing for the first time since rejecting a move to union.
There is also Super League action from another top five side, St Helens, who take on Castleford and hope to have Tommy Martyn available after last week's hip injury turned out to be less serious than feared. Chris Joynt and Paul Sculthorpe are back.
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