Friday 21 June 2019 06:06, UK
London Broncos moved off the foot of the Betfred Super League table for the first time in three months after a thrilling 26-24 victory over Hull KR.
London were the better of the two in the first half and a try by Morgan Smith either side of kicks by Kieran Dixon put the hosts in the ascendancy. Weller Hauraki's converted try kept it tight at 8-6 after 40 minutes, though.
The floodgates opened in the second 40 minutes and after the visitors scored further tries through Adam Quinlan and Chris Atkin, Broncos wrestled back control after a four-point score from Alex Walker and a further effort from Jordan Abdull.
Both teams continued to pile forward before Rob Butler made the game safe late-on. Josh Drinkwater bagged a late consolation for Hull KR but the night ultimately belonged to Danny Ward's men as they secured their third league-win on the bounce.
The result gives Broncos a two-point cushion above the two sides below them in the table. Rovers now sit bottom on 12 points and are level with Leeds Rhinos, who play live on Sky Sports on Friday night against St Helens.
Despite the tension surrounding the fixture, there was a lot of open and expansive rugby on display, with the lion's share of it coming from the hosts.
It was Danny Ward's charges who were first on the scoreboard, with their 2019 top-scorer Dixon slotting a penalty just inside the right-hand upright after six minutes. The side duly opened the try-scoring first too.
Nathan Mason fed Dixon on the right and the former Hull KR man showed expert vision to kick through the gap. Morgan Smith latched on to the loose ball and charged through to roars from the crowd.
Dixon's second penalty create an 8-0 cushion. It was beginning to look slightly ominous for Rovers but they ended the half with a try of their own to give Tony Smith's team talk a much more positive feel.
Drinkwater slid an inch-perfect kick through for Hauraki to halve the deficit and Shaw's conversion then made it at 8-6.
Immediately after the break, Hull KR picked up where they left off and a stunning team move saw them surge into the lead.
Kane Linnett's confident charge was then followed by a nifty pass to Quinlan, with the full back receiving a return pass from new arrival Harvey Livett to scramble over under pressure.
Broncos could scarcely believe what happened next. After the hosts switched off at a penalty, Luis Johnson showed his speed to dart through the middle and found Atkin, who made no mistake before Shaw scored his second conversion in quick succession.
Even though the crowd were shell-shocked, it has been Broncos' home form that has kept them in contention to survive.
With 53 minutes played, Ward's men managed to close the deficit courtesy of a scintillating move involving Matty Fozard, Eddie Battye and Morgan Smith, before Alex Walker crossed the whitewash.
The video referee was not used until midway through the second period and, after an agonising wait to check whether Broncos had their third try, it was deemed that Dixon had not tackled Shaw without the ball and therefore Abdull's grounding was good, sparking wild scenes.
Victory was secured through Butler, with the prop shrugging off the attention of several Rovers players to roll over.
Drinkwater's late converted-try put the fans on edge, but Broncos held on and the delirious scenes that followed showed just how crucial this win could be by the end of the campaign.
