London v Catalan game in venue switch

London’s game against Catalan on Thursday will now be played at Esher Rugby Union club, with Twickenham Stoop deemed unplayable.

The Broncos hosted Hull FC on Saturday in difficult conditions, and the decision has been made that the pitch would be unsuitable for Thursday’s game, particularly considering Harlequins rugby union have a forthcoming Heineken Cup quarter-final clash with Munster.

Esher, who play in National League 1, the third tier of the union system, play at Moseley Road, which holds 3000 fans, including 1200 seats.

Broncos chief executive Gus Mackay said: “We have spent the last 24 hours to search for venues but with a busy schedule of football matches this weekend we have been severely limited in our choice of alternative venue.

“The ground at Esher has been approved by the RFL for this one-off game. We are grateful for the support from the RFL and for Esher Rugby Union Club for hosting us at short notice.”

London were keen to avoid postponing the game, and causing a fixture backlog later in the season.

The club is still in talks over a permanent move away from Twickenham Stoom for next year, with their game against Warrington later this season scheduled to be played at Gillingham’s Priestfield Stadium.