London Broncos 44 Featherstone Rovers 24: Moore sees red as Rovers slump to first defeat of season

Red-carded Featherstone Rovers forward, Richard Moore. PIC: Tony Johnson

Half-back Jarrod Sammut piled up 26 points with three tries and seven goals as London retained top spot in the Betfred Championship by maintaining their 100 per cent record with their third straight win.

Josh Hardcastle’s two tries were in vain for Rovers who had veteran prop Richard Moore sent off in the 43rd minute.

The visitors gave a dreadful defensive display and never recovered from a poor start.

Double try scorer at London Broncos, Josh Hardcastle. PIC: James Hardisty

They were 12-0 down after 13 minutes and trailed 26-10 at half-time.

Anthony Thackeray was halted inches short in Featherstone’s first attack before London opened the scoring when Sammut gathered the ball from his own towering kick to grab a seventh-minute try.

Rovers fell farther behind six minutes later when Jay Pitts raced over from 35 yards out.

Featherstone flickered briefly when Misi Taulapapa went over for an unconverted try in the 17th minute but the Broncos quickly regained control through Sammut mostly.

London's tormentor-in-chief, Jarrod Sammut.

Rovers completed the first-half scoring when Hardcastle darted in at the corner three minutes before half-time and Martyn Ridyard converted.

Featherstone’s John Davies had an effort ruled out early in the second-half before Moore was sent off for an alleged high tackle on London’s Cunningham.

Three minutes later Sammut was sin-binned for flattening Featherstone’s Matty Wildie.

Rovers substitute Sam Brooks crashed over but there was a forward pass in the build up. Featherstone’s lingering hopes ended when Kieran Dixon scored two tries in three minutes and Pitts put in Sammut for his third try.

Rovers staged a fightback with three tries in 10 minutes but it was too late.

Hardcastle crossed for his second after Connor Farrell was stopped just short, Luke Briscoe went over and Ridyard then sent in James Lockwood from close-range but the game was well beyond Featherstone at that stage.

London Broncos: Walker; Dixon, Fleming, Hellewell, Williams; Meadows, Sammut; Spencer, Cunningham, Ioane, Pitts, Gee, Davies. Subs: Battye, Bienek, Adebiyi, Johnstone.

Featherstone Rovers: Thackeray; Briscoe, Hardcastle, Hardman, Taulapapa; Ridyard, Holmes; Wheeldon, Carlile, Cooper, Farrell, Davies, Lockwood. Subs: Wildie, Moore, Clark, Brooks.

Referee: Tom Grant (Leeds).