London Broncos appear to have been doomed to spending a single season back in the Betfred Super League under rugby league’s new grading criteria which will determine the composition of the top flight from 2025 onwards.
The Broncos, who stunned Toulouse to clinch promotion via the Championship Grand Final earlier month, have been ranked a lowly 24th in the indicative grades which were released by RL Commercial and their strategic partner, the sports media giant IMG, on Wednesday.
Under the new criteria, promotion and relegation will be axed next year and replaced by a system which awards points across five key factors including support base, performance, finances, facilities and community integration – with the top 12 scorers automatically assuming a Super League place.
Seven clubs – Leeds, Wigan, St Helens, Catalans Dragons, Warrington, Hull KR and Hull FC – have been awarded Grade A status, which effectively makes them immune to relegation, with the remaining places allocated to the best-scoring Grade B clubs.
London scored just 8.07 out of a possible 25 under the new metric, leaving them, for example, six places below Newcastle Thunder, who resigned from the league and declared themselves unsustainable in the wake of relegation from the Championship last month.
IMG vice-president Matt Dwyer, who is heading the project, denied it was impossible for London to stay up but conceded: “Across all categories London need to be improving, (and) there’s plenty of room for them to improve.
“I would suggest that in 2024 they will be wanting to perform as well as they can to move along that path to being a category A club, and that’s what we’re aiming for.”
The Broncos were not immediately available to comment on the damning verdict, but it represented another blow for the sport in the capital, long championed as a “key area for growth” by rugby league chiefs, following the loss of London Skolars at the end of last season.
But Dwyer insisted the sport has a big future in London, adding: “Interest and participation is still quite high in London, so it still has the base that should make it a core market going forward.
“All that has been identified is the challenge we have to grow the market based off that score for London. It’s a hard market to crack and it’s a market we’ve tried to crack for a long time. It has the right ingredients, but we have to put those ingredients together and bake the cake.”
Based on the current rankings, which have been released in order to give clubs just under a year to address issues and potentially move up the table which will be released at the end of next season, Toulouse and Wakefield would be promoted back into Super League at the expense of London and 13th-placed Castleford.
Castleford have indicated they intend to appeal their indicative grade based on confusion over a point relating to finance, which if accepted would move them into the top 12 at the expense of Challenge Cup winners Leigh Leopards.
Championship winners Featherstone, who lost to the Broncos in their play-off semi-final, also expressed concern over the grading criteria which appear to diminish their own long-held hopes of reaching the top flight.
Featherstone rank 15th on the current list with a score of 10.65, meaning only a prospective expansion of Super League to 14 teams would give them a realistic chance of promotion.
In a wide-ranging statement, Featherstone questioned the weighting of some of the criteria towards what it called “future promises of potential” and said it was deflecting from deeper issues within the game.
“The leaders of the game, including key partners such as IMG, should urgently refocus its attentions on the marketing of the game rather than waste any more time on looking at structures and scoring systems,” said the statement.
“The excitement and jeopardy of our game is driven by what happens on the pitch, as has been admirably shown by London Broncos in their run to Super League.
“We have been promised that this would be at the forefront of the strategy under IMG – we remain unconvinced.”
Women Reggae Warriors squad named for America’s Women’s World Series Qualifiers in Jacksonville
Jamaica has named a 19-woman squad for the upcoming America’s Women’s World Series Qualifiers set for November 6-9 in Jacksonville.
The Women Reggae Warriors, currently ranked 22nd in the world, will take on the USA in the semi-finals on November 6 at the University of North Florida before the winner takes on world number seven Canada in the final on November 9.
Brazil were originally supposed to be a part of the tournament but withdrew in June due to funding and logistical issues.
The winner of the final will advance to the 2025 World Series for a chance to advance to the 2026 Women’s Rugby League World Cup in Australia and Papua New Guinea.
Women Reggae Warriors squad: Alicia Richards, Aniya Smith, Chevelle Clarke, Darcey Price, Debisha Scarlett, Dejonaye Cole, Elyse Royal, Gianna Noble-Cunningham, Kamoya Forrest, Kaya-Jo Laing, Mackayla McCalla, Makeda Lewis, Moesha Bogle, Shanice Stewart, Shanique Smith, Sherine Johnson, Shoya Gordon, Tarja Richards, Veronica Blair.
Reggae Warriors fall to Wales in rain-soaked Rugby League international
Jamaica's Reggae Warriors suffered a narrow 22-16 defeat to Wales in a rain-drenched international rugby league encounter on Tuesday at The Gnoll in Neath. Despite leading 10-0 early in the match, Jamaica couldn’t hold off a determined Welsh side that rallied in the second half to secure the victory in front of 1,300 fans.
Jamaica, fielding a new-look squad with eight debutants, got off to a dream start. Ben Jones-Bishop opened the scoring in the fifth minute, slipping through the Welsh defense after a missed tackle. Just minutes later, Alex Young, brother of England international Dom Young, pounced on a loose ball following Kieran Rush’s precise kick to double the lead for the Reggae Warriors.
With a 10-0 advantage, Jamaica appeared to be in control, but Wales adapted to the worsening conditions. Rhys Williams, Wales' record-cap holder, sparked the Welsh comeback just before halftime, scoring a crucial try after running onto a kick from captain Elliot Kear.
The second half saw Wales take advantage of the wet conditions and gain momentum. Debutants Huw Worthington and Max Clarke both crossed the try line, giving Wales the lead for the first time in the match. A strong performance from Gil Dudson, named man of the match, and a try from Matty Fozard stretched the Welsh lead, sealing the comeback victory.
Jamaica struggled to find their rhythm in the second half, especially after losing playmaker Kieran Rush to injury early in the period. Despite a late try from Joshua Hudson-Lett, Jamaica couldn’t close the gap, leaving the final score at 22-16 in favor of Wales.
For Jamaica, the match provided valuable experience for a squad featuring many new players, including the only non-UK-based player, Alex Young of the Sydney Roosters. Despite the loss, the Reggae Warriors showed promise and will look to build on their performance in future fixtures.
Match Summary
Wales (4) 22
Tries: Williams, Worthington, Clarke, Dudson, Fozard
Conversions: Fozard
Jamaica (10) 16
Tries: Jones-Bishop, Young, Hudson-Lett
Conversions: Carter
Penalty: Rush
The defeat marks another step in Jamaica’s journey to establish themselves on the international rugby league stage as they continue to gain experience against quality opposition.
Reggae Warriors name 20-man squad to face Wales on October 15
Jamaica has called up a 20-man squad to prepare for their international clash with world number 17 Wales, at the The Lextan Gnoll in Neath, on Tuesday, October 15 (kick-off 7.30pm).
Most players called up play in English competitions, the lone exception, Alex Young, is currently signed to the Sydney Roosters in Australia. Included are veterans such as Ben Jones-Bishop, James Woodburn Hall, Mo Agoro, Jordan Andrade, Keenen Tomlinson, and Ross Peltier. However, there are also plenty new faces with possible debutants coming from Darius Carter, Delaine Gittens-Bedwards, Jaden Dayes, Leo Skerritt-Evans, Aaron Smalls, Keenan Ramsden and Joshua Hudson-Lett.
Injury has forced the withdrawal of inspirational captain Ashton Golding (Huddersfield), Jerome Yates (West Warriors) and Greg Johnson (Moldgreen), whilst Michael Lawrence (Bradford) and AJ Wallace (Huddersfield) are unavailable due to club duties. Resulting, former captains Joe Brown and Jy-Mel Coleman, both instrumental in Jamaica’s qualification to the 2021 World Cup, have made themselves available if required, with Coleman doubling as an assistant coach.
Jamaica will be coached by Rhys Lovegrove, who is Academy Head Coach at Super League club Hull KR. He commented, “I’m really honoured and privileged to be part of the coaching set and excited to see some new faces pull on the jersey to face Wales”.
Director of Rugby and Head of Jamaica’s men’s programme Romeo Monteith added, “As an organisation we are happy to face Wales at their home. They are a good team with a proud history in rugby league. Jamaica remains committed to playing at least one international in Europe annually and we hope to collaborate more often with Wales in the future. The game helps them prepare for their European World Cup qualifiers, and it helps us in our preparation for the World Series in 2025 as it’s vital our professional players get a chance to play together as often as possible.”
The Reggae Warriors played their last men’s international against the USA on December 3, 2024, going down 26-30. After Wales, Jamaica faces Canada in Toronto on October 19.
JAMAICA SQUAD:
Delaine Gittens-Bedward (Barrow Raiders), Joshua Hudson-Lett (Bedford Tigers), Leo Skerrett-Evans (Castleford Tigers), Aaron Small (Cornwall), Keenen Tomlinson (Featherstone Rovers), James Woodburn-Hall (Halifax), Darius Carter, Kieran Rush (Huddersfield Giants), Chris Ball (London Broncos), Alex Brown (Moldgreen ARLFC), Mo Agoro (Oldham), Jaden Dayes, Jordan Andrade (Rochdale), Ben Jones-Bishop (Sheffield), Keenan Ramsden (Siddal), Alex Young (Sydney Roosters), Isaac Coleman (York Acorn), Joe Brown, Jy-Mel Coleman, Ross Peltier (Unattached)
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