NRL: South Sydney Rabbitohs v Brisbane Broncos – as it happened

1.09pm BST13:09

Summary

South Sydney keep their finals hopes well and truly alive with a workmanlike win over a Broncos team lacking any sort of fight. Brisbane remain anchored in 15th place after a fourth straight loss and could be relegated to bottom place if the Bulldogs can beat the Storm tomorrow.

The Rabbitohs were without their coach – Wayne Bennett banished to isolation for a Covid-19 breach – but they were not short on leaders, with Adam Reynolds, Dane Gagai and Latrell Mitchell just three names to lead by example on the field. Worryingly for Brisbane, the tries they conceded were soft in the extreme. Opponents are scoring against them for fun and the only positive the Broncos could take from this defeat is David Fifita’s return. But with Brisbane no chance of making the finals in 2020 and Fifita on his way after this season, even that is cold comfort for a proud club in turmoil. If the Bunnies were any chance of making an impression this year, they had to put Brisbane away tonight. They did that, but sterner challenges await.

Thanks for your company tonight. Let’s do it again soon.

Updated
at 1.09pm BST

12.52pm BST12:52

FT: South Sydney 28-10 Brisbane

12.50pm BST12:50

78 mins: Penalty for Souths but Reynolds fluff his lines – and the kick – to spare Brisbane some additional agony.

12.47pm BST12:47

76 mins: Reynolds relies on his kicking game again but the ball runs long to give Brisbane a rare period of respite. They do nothing with their set, however, and the ball is back with the Bunnies.

12.44pm BST12:44

73 mins: More of the same. Brisbane bust their hump for little reward and Souths regain the ascendancy without expending much effort at all. A captain’s challenge for Souths is successful and they can do little wrong. Not long now.

12.40pm BST12:40

12.36pm BST12:36

TRY! South Sydney 28-10 Brisbane

66 mins: Soft! Tom Burgess is fed from dummy half and the big fellow pretty much strolls through an insipid last line from the Broncos to make it another try for the Bunnies. Pretty pathetic from Brisbane. Reynolds converts and dare I say it’s game over?

12.32pm BST12:32

64 mins: The ball ping pongs from one end of the field to the other, and though Souths are now looking quiet the Broncos are doing nothing, either. A fresh set of six following some sharp work on the short side opens up another chance for the Rabbitohs, however.

12.29pm BST12:29

62 mins: Some slippery work from Mitchell to Walker exposes some frailties in the Broncos through the middle. And now the Bunnies have another chance to press from inside their own half.

12.26pm BST12:26

60 mins: Staggs coughs up the ball in the first play, not far from the Rabbitohs line, and that is an opportunity the Broncos could ill afford to lose. Johns goes high on Farnworth and now the Broncos can reset from halfway.

12.23pm BST12:23

57 mins: Souths toss the ball all around the place and the Broncos are exposed left, right and centre. It turns into a one-on-one between the two Toms – Burgess and Dearden – and although the Rabbitoh wins the physical battle, he fails to ground the ball correctly and the decision is NO TRY. The Broncos stay in it. Just.

12.18pm BST12:18

53 mins: A Broncos kick from inside their own 30 does little to ease the pressure and the Bunnies thrust forward again. Fifita does just enough on the last line and it’s a goal-line dropout. Great kicking from Reynolds. Advantage remains with the Rabbitohs.

12.15pm BST12:15

12.09pm BST12:09

TRY! South Sydney 20-10 Brisbane

44 mins: A Souths fumble in the greasy conditions hands the Broncos a turnover, and now a set restart gives them a real chance. A penalty doubles down on that and Fifita is basically too big, too strong as he shrugs one tackle and busts through two more to register a much-needed try for the Broncos. No dice on the conversion, though, and it’s now a 10-point ball game.

12.04pm BST12:04

41 mins: Boyd tries to make some headway but Souths are equal to it. Not a great set from the Broncos. They’ll need to do better than that to get back in this.

11.52am BST11:52

HT: South Sydney 20-6 Brisbane

11.48am BST11:48

39 mins: A set restart for the Broncos is something, but they’ll need 1,000 of them to get competitive in this game. They’ve dropped off badly late in this half.

11.46am BST11:46

TRY! South Sydney 20-6 Brisbane

34 mins: Mago almost gets upended in a tackle but he flattens his body to stay safe. From the restart Nicholls fairly well strolls through a gang of disinterested looking Broncos through the middle of the park for the easiest try he’ll score this year. Or ever. Awful from Brisbane. Just awful.

11.42am BST11:42

33 mins: Brisbane lose their Captain’s Challenge and now the Bunnies advance again. Reynolds grubs one in and it’s a great kick: Boyd can do no more than take the ball dead. Souths well on top here.

11.39am BST11:39

TRY! South Sydney 14-6 Brisbane

30 mins: Awesome kicking from Paulo to thread the needle of four Broncos players and the only issue is whether Reynolds is on-side. Reynolds was in front of the kicker but Paulo did enough to make sure he was on-side and that is a beautiful try from Souths.

11.33am BST11:33

29 mins: Yet another set restart for Brisbane – Souths have been poor in this area tonight – but a high kick amounts to nothing as Coates knocks on. Over to you, Souths.

11.32am BST11:32

11.31am BST11:31

24 mins: Fifita doing a great job leading from the back half. More metres for the Broncos put the Bunnies under pressure but Souths are equal to the challenge and Walker emerges with the advantage. And now a penalty for interference hands Brisbane some precious territory. The Bunnies were on top but Brisbane are clawing their way back.

11.27am BST11:27

TRY! South Sydney 8-6 Brisbane

20 mins: The Bunnies are getting on top here, dominating possession, but a set restart deep in the Souths half gives the visitors a chance and they expose some gaping holes on the left with Farnworth sliding in unchallenged for a try against the run of play. Sloppy from the Rabbitohs. Staggs converts. Game on.

11.22am BST11:22

16 mins: Penalty for obstruction against Murray hands the Bunnies a penalty and Reynolds slots one through to make it an eight-point lead for the Bunnies. South Sydney 8-0 Brisbane

11.20am BST11:20

TRY! South Sydney 6-0 Brisbane

11.15am BST11:15

11 mins: Now Murray fumbles, handing the ball over to the Broncos when the Bunnies really should be driving towards the try line. Croft goes long at the end of the set but the Rabbitohs have it covered. Nobody is blinking yet.

11.13am BST11:13

8 mins: Penalty to the Rabbitohs deep in their own half. They’ve been a bit cleaner in these early exchanges. Fifita now tries to make some headway but a knock-on by Pangai means the Broncos have to defend deep in their part of the ground.

11.10am BST11:10

11.07am BST11:07

3 mins: Some handling errors from Souths keep Brisbane dangerous and close. Staggs has a chance on the short side but is hauled into touch. Could have done better there, the Broncos. Good defending from the Bunnies, however.

11.04am BST11:04

1 min: And we’re away. The Broncos work the ball forward, slowly and without much conviction. Fifita, though, makes a few early metres on the right. Johnston makes the catch for the Bunnies in a good early set for the Broncos.

10.52am BST10:52

10.39am BST10:39

Teams

10.21am BST10:21

Preamble