- See Harlequin F.C. for the
sister rugby union club
Harlequins Rugby League is a
professional rugby league club
representing the greater London
area.
They are currently the premier rugby league side in London, and
play in the European
Super
League. London has one other professional team, the
London Skolars, and also a substantial number
of amateur teams, although the sport as a whole is predominantly
northern in England.
Until the end of the
2005 season the
club were known as
London Broncos, playing their
last game under that name on 23 September 2005 and changing their
name officially on 17 October 2005. Their current name is often
shortened to
Harlequins RL or simply to
Quins. The club has also previously been known by
its original name,
Fulham, and then as
London Crusaders.
The club
play at The
Stoop
, which is also the home of the Harlequins Rugby Union club. The home
shirt design is similar to the union club's famous multi-coloured
quartered jersey (light blue, magenta, chocolate, French grey,
black & green). It does, however, incorporate a Rugby League
twist with the quarters forming a slight "v" shape. The away shirt
for the
2009 season features pale
blue and white quarters. The club's major shirt sponsor for this
season is
St
Mary's University College, Twickenham
History
Previous rugby league clubs in London
Professional rugby league was briefly represented in London in the
1930s by
London Highfield (who
played only one season),
Acton
& Willesden (also one season) and
Streatham & Mitcham (one
and a half seasons). All were speculative clubs set up by local
businessmen purely as money making exercises, and were ultimately
driven out of business through poor finances. Thereafter, the sport
in England remained exclusively a northern based game for over half
a century.
Fulham Rugby League Club
In June 1980
Fulham Football Club
announced the formation of a rugby league team, with the primary
intention of creating another income stream for the soccer club.
The Rugby Football League (RFL), keen to try and expand the sport
beyond its traditional northern heartland, accepted the new club at
once and one of the game's leading players,
Reg Bowden, was recruited by the team to act as
player-coach. Within only a few weeks weeks, Bowden had assembled
an impressive team of experienced players approaching retirement,
together with a few youngsters.
Nearly 10,000 curious fans turned up for the
opening game at Craven
Cottage
, most of whom, being Londoners, were watching their
first ever live Rugby League match. The newly formed side
surprisingly beat highly regarded
Wigan 24-5 in emotional circumstances, in
what has become a fondly remembered match for those fortunate
enough to be present . The new Fulham RL team quickly proved to be
very competitive and went on to win promotion at the end of their
inaugural season.
After the euphoria that was generated in their initial season,
immediate relegation in 1981-82 was a reality check. Despite
winning the
Division Two
Championship the following year, a second immediate relegation
coupled with continuing financial losses saw the plug pulled by the
parent soccer club at the end of their fourth season. However, with
the backing of supporters Roy and Barbara Close and with an
enthusiastic new coach, former player Roy Lester, Fulham RL still
had a future.
Fulham
played "home" games against Swinton and Huddersfield in Widnes
, Cheshire
in April
1983 as the pitch at the Cottage had disintegrated in the wet
winter following the collapse of the main drain to the river under
the Miller Stand.
Between
1984 and 1994 the club spent periods based at Crystal Palace
National Sports Centre
(1984-5 and 1990-3) and at Chiswick Polytechnic Sports
Ground (1985-90). This decade was noted for its
continued struggle both on and off the pitch, but the club still
managed to keep its head just above water financially.
They also several
played one-off games at venues around London such as Wealdstone F.C., Hendon F.C., Brentford
F.C. and Chelsea F.C.'s ground
Stamford
Bridge
in 1983.
London Crusaders Rugby League Club
A 1991 name change to 'London Crusaders' coincided with an
entertaining and slightly more successful period on the pitch. The
climax of this spell was a 1994 appearance in the Divisional
Premiership Final under coach
Tony Gordon.
The
Crusaders moved from Crystal Palace
National Sports Centre to Barnet Copthall
arena in 1993. The RFL briefly owned the
Crusaders in 93/94 as the Bartrams departed.
London Broncos Rugby League Club
In the spring of 1994 it was announced that the
Australian NSWRLside the
Brisbane Broncos was buying the club, which
would be renamed 'London Broncos'. Gordon was replaced by a
Brisbane coach,
Gary Grienke.
[88898]
In 1996, despite not playing in the top flight, the London Broncos
were selected by the RFL to be part of the new
Super League competition on the basis that it
was essential for the sport to have a high profile representative
in the capital. Former Brisbane Bronco
Tony Currie took up the role of
Head Coach.
The club moved to The
Valley
, the home ground of Charlton Athletic F.C..
The
1996 season brought the best
attendances since the inaugural season at Craven Cottage. Tony Rea retired
from playing at the end of the season to take up the Chief
Executive role at the club.
After two years they moved once again, to the Harlequin rugby union
club's Stoop Memorial Ground.
Richard
Branson's Virgin Group became majority shareholders, and the
immediate future looked very bright. In 1997, after a remarkably
good season they finished second in
Super League. Highlights that year
included victories at the Stoop over
Canberra in the
World Club Challenge and
Bradford and
Wigan in
Super
League II.
In 1998,
as part of rugby league's "on the road" scheme London Broncos
played Bradford Bulls at Tynecastle
in Edinburgh in front of over 7,000 fans.
Success continued in 1998 with a first appearance in the
Challenge Cup semi-finals, losing to
Wigan. Head coach
Tony Currie left the club at the
end of the
1998 Super League season
and was replaced by
Dan Stains.
In 1999, the club went one better, having its best cup run to date.
Following
a famous semi final victory over Castleford, the Broncos reached the
Challenge Cup final at
Wembley
Stadium
for the first time, but were defeated 52-16 by
Leeds. The club sacked Stains after the Broncos endured a
long losing streak during the Super League campaign.
Tony Rea was appointed temporary joint head coach
with Stains' assistant
Les Kiss. Rea and
Kiss managed to steer Broncos out of the slump.
After a second brief spell back at The Valley, fervent supporter
David Hughes purchased the majority shareholding from Virgin in a
major restructuring of the club. In 2000,
John Monie was appointed head coach. Monie only
stayed in the job until the last month of the 2000 Super League
season with the club endured a mediocre season during his tenure.
Rea took over caretaker coach until the end of the season and
Broncos sailed to mid-table security. Rea resigned his Chief
Executive role at the end of the 2000 season to become head coach
on a full-time basis.
York made an approach to Virgin to
buy the
London Broncos in
August 2001 and form a merged club under a new name, York Wasps
Ltd, to play in Super League.
[88899]
In 2002,
the Broncos moved back across London to play at
Griffin
Park
as tenants of Brentford
F.C.. 2003 marked the club's first Super League play off appearance,
losing in the first round to St
Helens 24-6 at Knowsley
Road
.
The
2005 season was marked by
significant activity off the pitch as the club welcomed new
chairman and majority shareholder
Ian
Lenagan who had bought up 65% of the shares.
This was followed by
the announcement of a partnership with Harlequins F.C. rugby union club that would
see the side return to Twickenham
Stoop, this time re-named as Harlequins RL for the
2006 season.
Harlequins Rugby League Club
On 8 July 2006, after a disappointing
run of form for the team, the Harlequins Rugby League club
announced a re-organisation of the coaching set-up. Rea was
replaced as head coach by
Leeds Rhinos'
assistant coach
Brian McDermott, but
was appointed to a position on the club's board of directors. He
has since left this position.
The team completed its first season as Harlequins RL with 7th place
in
Super League XI. Although
finishing strongly to avoid relegation, the run of 4 consecutive
home defeats at the start of the season proved difficult to
overcome.
Super League XII in 2007
saw the team finishing 9th falling short of contention for a
playoff spot.
In December 2007, Chairman
Ian Lenagan
became owner of his home town club
Wigan
Warriors. Although handing over to a new Chairman Keith Hogg,
Ian Lenagan will be allowed to maintain
a major shareholding for a further two years.
Previous kits
The different incarnations of the club have each worn different
playing kits. The original Fulham team wore an all black kit with a
broad white chevron, trimmed with red, on the shirt which was
unaltered during that club's existence. As London Crusaders, the
kit used the same colours again, but in a variety of designs over
the seasons. London Broncos wore red, yellow and blue also in a
variety of styles, with red being the predominant colour for the
last 5 years of their existence.
Honours
Coaching Staff
2010 Squad
2009 Signings/Transfers
Gains
Losses
Players Earning International Caps while at Fulham / London
Broncos / Harlequins
- Lee Greenwood, for
England while at London Broncos 2004 Russia, Ireland
- Rob Purdham, for England
while at Harlequins 2006 France, Tonga x 2, Samoa
- Paul Sykes, for
England while at London Broncos 2005 France, New Zealand,
for Great Britain while at Harlequins 2007 France
- Tony Clubb, for England
while at Harlequins 2008 Wales, 2009 France
Other Notable Players
See here of a
list of
London Broncos players.
Records
Individual player records
- Most tries in a game: 5 by Martin
Offiah vs Whitehaven, 14th March 1999
- Most tries in a season (any competition): 43 by Mark Johnson, 1993-94
- Most tries in a season (Super League): 24 by Denis Moran, 2003
- Most career tries (any competition): 86 by Scott Roskell, 1992-97
- Most career tries (Super League): 74 by Denis Moran, 2001-04
- Most goals in a game (any competition): 13 by Rob Purdham vs Barrow
Raiders, 20th May 2006
- Most goals in a game (Super League): 12 by Paul Sykes vs Wakefield Trinity Wildcats,
27th February 2005
- Most goals in a season (any competition): 159 by John Gallagher, 1993-94
- Most goals in a season (Super League): 120 by Paul Sykes, 2005
- Most career goals (any competition): 309 by Steve Diamond, 1981-84
- Most career goals (Super League): 229 by Paul Sykes,
2001-06
- Most points in a game (any competition): 34 by Rob Purdham vs Barrow
Raiders, 20th May 2006
- Most points in a game (Super League): 28 by Greg Barwick vs Castleford Tigers, 25th August 1996
- Most Points in a season (any competition): 384 by John Gallagher, 1993-94
- Most Points in a season (Super League): 290 by Paul Sykes, 2005
- Most career points (any competition): 772 by Paul Sykes,
2001-07
- Most career points (Super League): 750 by Paul Sykes,
2001-07
- Most career appearances: 202 by Steele Retchless, 1998-04
- Most tackles made in any Super League Match: 66 by Steele Retchless (against Bradford in 1998.
This is an all-time Super League record).
Team records
See also
References
External links
on 2 May 2009
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