Danny’s got dreamland within sight
DANNY WARD is dreaming of returning London Broncos to the promised land of the Super League ahead of Sunday’s reunion with former club Leeds.
The capital city club were relegated from the top flight with Bradford Bulls in 2014 but have remained full-time and finished second in the Championship this season.
That gave them four home games in the Qualifiers and, having won against Super League opposition in last week’s opener at Widnes, optimism abounds before the visit of the Rhinos.
Ward said: “Having coached here at youth level and been Hendo’s [Andrew Henderson] assistant, I jumped at the opportunity to become London’s head coach.
“I played for London and have been down here for 11 years, so I’ve fallen in love with the club and am passionate about rugby league in the capital.
“I want to make it work because the game needs to spread around the country and beyond to give it that national-game feel.
“I’ve got a lot of ambition to coach at the top level with the Broncos and make them one of the best clubs in the game. There are a lot of kids playing the game down here and there is a fantastic pathway, so we want a London club in the Super League made up of London lads.
“The boys have been fantastic all year to finish second and we’ve had five or six lads who have come through the academy to make their debut. The boys loved winning at Widnes last DRIVEN: Ward cannot wait to tackle his old club Leeds and take the Broncos a step closer to a Super League return
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week, but we need to back it up to make it count for anything at the end of the season.
“Certainly, to be the man who takes London back to the Super League would mean everything to me.”
That Ward was part of the Leeds side who won the club’s first championship in 32 years in 2004 adds intrigue to this weekend’s encounter in Ealing. The ex-prop, who cites Brian McDermott as the greatest influence on his coaching career, is the son of former Leeds captain and coach David Ward.
“Leeds is special to me because I used to go down with my old man and I joined the club myself straight from school as a 16-year-old,” said Ward.
“It was a big part of my life for 10 years and to come through the youth system with some great friends and win a Grand Final together was fantastic.”
Kevin Sinfield, who captained Leeds to seven Super League titles, is now tasked with saving them from relegation.
The Rhinos’ visit will attract a crowd of more than 2,000 and Ward said: “Kev and I came through the academy together and we’re good mates.
“I spoke to him when he took over at Leeds and he’s a champion bloke. It’s great to see him back at the club, but no team are too good to go down.
“My lads are prepared to go to war with one another and we’re looking forward to Sunday.” CARL FRAMPTON’S earliest memories of visiting Windsor Park are watching his beloved Northern Ireland taking on world champions France.
On Saturday, exactly 19 years to the day, the Belfast hero hopes to edge closer to becoming a world champion again by creating memories for his own fans at the home of Northern Irish football.
Frampton, now 31, was a wide-eyed 12-year-old when the likes of Lilian Thuram and Patrick Vieira helped France to a 1-0 win just a year after lifting the World Cup on home soil.
France were crowned world champions this summer, but this time Frampton will be the star on show in the centre-circle ring with 25,000 home fans roaring him on against Australian underdog Luke Jackson.
“My first memory of watching the Northern Ireland team play was against France,” said Frampton, who has lost just once in 26 fights. “I remember Thuram more than anyone, he must have had a great game. He stuck in my memory. It was only a few
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