London Broncos and Doncaster have locked in their places in the Betfred Championship Grand Final following two captivating Preliminary Final encounters on Saturday.

Both sides navigated the week four play-off fixtures in contrasting styles, with London running rampant at the Cherry Red Records Stadium while Doncaster showed incredible road grit at Blaydon RUFC to keep their season alive.

At Plough Lane, the capital club put on an absolute attacking clinic to crush Oldham 74-8. The league leaders produced an irresistible 13-try display, leaving Oldham with no answers as London established total dominance from the opening exchanges to send a massive warning statement ahead of the decider.

Meanwhile in the North East, Doncaster produced an outstanding road performance to upset Newcastle Thunder 33-18. The Dons managed the high-stakes clash expertly, combining resolute goal-line defense with timely execution—including a late drop goal to extend the cushion—to secure a hard-fought victory over higher-seeded Newcastle.

RFL Championship preliminary final try scorers and match breakdown

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In London, the Broncos proved far too hot to handle for Oldham as they powered to a 13-try rout. 

Playmaker Dean Hawkins pulled the strings, while tries from Meadows, Webster-Mansfield, Mathias, Wallis, Smith, Campbell-Gillard, Hawkins, Voro, Tchamambe and Bitungane capped off a clinical team display. 

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Oldham’s response came in the form of a try each for Smith and Bibby on a difficult afternoon for the Roughyeds.

Up in Newcastle, it was the Bureta Faraimo show during the opening 40 minutes as the powerhouse winger crossed for a sensational first-half hat-trick to put Doncaster in total control. 

Further second-half scores from Briscoe and Jones, coupled with six goals and a drop goal from man-of-the-match Connor Robinson, sealed the win. Jude Ferreira, Brad Ward, and Will Roberts crossed for Newcastle’s late consolidation tries.

The two preliminary final victories set up a blockbuster Betfred Championship Grand Final between London Broncosand Doncaster on Sunday, October 4 at 2:30pm BST. 

The decider will take place at London’s Cherry Red Records Stadium, with live broadcast coverage streamed free on YouTube via The Sportsman.

Results from the @Betfred Championship Preliminary Finals 👇

Congratulations @LondonBroncosRL and @Doncaster_RLFC 👏 pic.twitter.com/vLhhXBPYNM

— Rugby Football League (@TheRFL) September 27, 2026