{"id":702558,"date":"2026-01-17T17:36:19","date_gmt":"2026-01-17T17:36:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/702558\/"},"modified":"2026-01-17T17:36:19","modified_gmt":"2026-01-17T17:36:19","slug":"big-match-preview-london-broncos-championship-r1","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/702558\/","title":{"rendered":"BIG MATCH PREVIEW: LONDON BRONCOS (CHAMPIONSHIP R1)"},"content":{"rendered":"

On Sunday afternoon, the Vikings travel to the Cherry Red Records Stadium to face London Broncos in Round One of the Betfred Championship, and kick-off is set for 3pm.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Allan Coleman\u2019s side will look to make a winning start to the Betfred Championship for the third year in a row as they take on the heavily fancied Broncos side.<\/p>\n

\"\ud83c\udf9f\ufe0f\" TICKET & ENTRY INFORMATION<\/p>\n

Away match tickets for this fixture can be purchased online HERE<\/strong><\/a> until kickoff tomorrow.<\/p>\n

Vikings supporters will be located in blocks 119 and 120 of the East Stand at the Cherry Red Records Stadium. Use the discount code \u2018widnes 10\u2019 at checkout for \u00a310 tickets.<\/p>\n

\"\ud83d\udcf0\" SQUAD NEWS<\/p>\n

Allan Coleman has named his 21-man squad for the Vikings\u2019 trip to the capital this Sunday.<\/p>\n

We welcome back Morgan McWhirter to the squad, having returned to the UK from Australia. Two players drop out of the squad for the Vikings as Lewis Hall and Toby Hughes are unavailable.<\/p>\n

Read our full squad news\u00a0HERE<\/a><\/strong>.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Jason Demetriou has named a strong London squad for his side\u2019s first game of the 2026 campaign.<\/p>\n

London Broncos 21-man squad<\/p>\n

Sadiq Adebiyi<\/strong>, Lewis Bienek<\/strong>, Emarly Bitungane<\/strong>, Reagan Campbell-Gillard<\/strong>, Jack Croft<\/strong>, Ted Davidson<\/strong>, Siliva Havili<\/strong>, Ben Hursey<\/strong>, Epel Kapinias<\/strong>, Will Lovell<\/strong>, Robert Mathias<\/strong>, Alex Max<\/strong>, Jimmy Meadows<\/strong>, Morea Morea<\/strong>, Connor O\u2019Beirne<\/strong>, Luke Smith<\/strong>, Marcus Stock<\/strong>, Neil Tchamambe<\/strong>, Gairo Voro<\/strong>, Elliot Wallis<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

\ud83d\udde3\ufe0f MURRAY EXPECTING PHYSICAL BATTLE WITH LONDON<\/p>\n

Dan Murray talks us through the physical challenge he expects this weekend from a talented London side.<\/p>\n

He explains his role as a leader in the pack this season and the importance of having a balance of fresh energy and continuity in the forwards.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n

\ud83c\udfc9 MATCH OFFICIAL APPOINTMENTS<\/p>\n

Tara Jones will be the Referee on Sunday afternoon, and he will be assisted by Peter Brooke and Gareth Jones as Touch Judges.<\/p>\n

\ud83d\udcf1 FOLLOW THE GAME WITH THE VIKINGS<\/p>\n

Are you not going to be with us in the capital? You can keep updated with the Vikings\u2019 official club coverage!<\/p>\n

Vikings fans will be able to get full updates through our match coverage on our\u00a0official X account<\/a>\u00a0\u2013 your hub to find out all the key news, including match day lineups, live game updates, and post-game coverage.<\/p>\n

\ud83d\udcac COACH PREVIEW<\/p>\n

Head Coach Allan Coleman expects a tough contest against the Broncos, but is full of belief ahead of the Championship opener.<\/p>\n

On Sunday\u2019s game, Coleman said:\u00a0\u201cI\u2019m just excited for the game more than anything.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe got a run out on Friday, and I think it was really valuable for us to get a look at things and get to grips with the rules around the ruck area this season.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re taking on another full-time team this weekend, so we\u2019ve got to be able to match that quick tempo.\u201d<\/p>\n

He added: \u201cThere\u2019s no doubt we go there as underdogs, but we\u2019re embracing the challenge. <\/p>\n

\u201cWe did a good job against the top teams last year; they were games we really raised our levels for, so I\u2019m confident we can do that again this weekend.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

\ud83d\udcca RECORD AGAINST LONDON<\/p>\n

The recent record between the two sides is fairly even, with four wins for the Vikings and six wins for the Broncos. The Vikings are looking to make it back-to-back wins in the capital after a 12-10 triumph last season.<\/p>\n

Last 10 meetings<\/strong><\/p>\n

Widnes 10-20 London<\/strong> (Championship, 14\/09\/25)
London 10-12 Widnes<\/strong> (Championship, 31\/05\/25)
London<\/strong> 52-12 Widnes (Championship, 10\/09\/23)
Widnes 18-26 London<\/strong> (Championship, 04\/06\/23)
Widnes<\/strong> 26-22 London (Championship, 26\/06\/22)
London 12-34 Widnes<\/strong> (Championship, 30\/01\/22)
Widnes 22-24 London<\/strong> (Championship, 13\/01\/21)
Widnes 12-38 London<\/strong> (Championship, 16\/02\/20)
Widnes 20-21 London<\/strong> (Super League Qualifiers, 09\/08\/18)
Widnes<\/strong> 38-16 London (Super League Qualifiers, 16\/09\/17)<\/p>\n

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