The Ashes typically refers to a meeting between England and Australia at cricket, most specifically, Test cricket. The name dates back to the first time Australia beat England on home soil, back in the 19th century, and a newspaper that printed a mock obituary that stated that English cricket would be “cremated and the ashes taken to Australia”.
There is more to the story than that but we are here to talk rugby, not cricket, with the phrase “the Ashes” having expanded in recent times to encompass just about any sporting clash between the two rival nations. Cricket’s Ashes has an unbroken history that stretches back to either 1877, when the first Test was played, 1882 when Australia won in England, or 1883 when England famously “won back the ashes”.
Rugby league was not “invented” until after a famous 1895 meeting at the George Hotel in Huddersfield. Rugby’s schism created the professional game of rugby league, whilst the more established union remained, for a long time, an amateur-only sport. Australia had a similar divide in 1907 and whilst the first meeting between the two countries in the 13-man code took place just after that, in 1908, the Ashes in rugby league lacks the history, longevity and unbroken nature of its cricket equivalent.
Cricket matches between England and Australia have been played with great regularity since those first meetings, the only real exceptions coming due to war. In rugby league, it has been very different, and the last time the old rivals met was back in 2003. However, in news that will truly delight fans of the sport, the historic series has been reinstated, with games set to be played later in 2025.
2025 Rugby League Ashes
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👀 Who’s ready to watch #EnglandRL take on the @Kangaroos this Autumn?! pic.twitter.com/8ohgorIeE3
— England Rugby League (@England_RL) April 14, 2025
Before fans get too excited, they should be aware that the first Ashes clash for well over 20 years will not take place until the 25th of October, 2025. England – and sadly, it will be England, rather than Great Britain – will play Australia in a three-match series, with the other games taking place on the 1st and then the 8th of November.
The name and make-up of the home side have changed over the years, with these clashes sometimes being billed as England versus Australia, but also with the team from the northern hemisphere being called the Lions, Great Britain and even the Northern Union XIII. At times their opponents have not simply been Australia either, with New Zealand combining with the Aussies to form an Australasian side at times.
This time around it will be England versus Australia, although it was initially planned to be Australia versus England (or Great Britain), as originally the games were going to take place Down Under. The change was partly due to Australia being the host for the World Cup in 2026, that tournament originally having been scheduled to take place in 2025, in France. The world of international rugby league is far from straightforward, as we shall consider shortly.
Before we look at why there was no Ashes in the sport for so long and why even now we will not see a Great British side, as we did for many years, let us get to the simpler issue of when and where the games will take place.
Schedule
Many possible venues were considered but in the end, it was decided to hold two in the northern heartlands of the sport and one at the nation’s biggest stadium.
- Wembley – 25th of October, Kick-off at 2.30pm
- Everton Stadium – 1st of November, Kick-off at 2.30pm
- Headingley – 8th of November, Kick-off at 2.30pm
All those connected with the tour are hoping that all three games will be sellouts. There has been come criticism about the use of Leeds Rhinos’ Headingley, as the venue only holds around 20,000 fans. Everton’s brand-new stadium at Bramley-Moore Dock seems perfect, with a capacity of almost 53,000, whilst Wembley’s 90,000 seats might be a touch trickier to sell out. Early signs have been encouraging though, with tens of thousands of fans signing up for a pre-sale period almost as soon as the tour was announced.
In good news for the many fans who may want to watch the games from the comfort of their own homes, all three clashes will be shown on BBC1, free in the UK. There is also expected to be a warm-up game for the tourists, taking place against France, probably in France, though details of that are yet to be confirmed.
Why No Ashes?
Whilst New Zealand won the Rugby League World Cup in 2008 and have been the runners-up on three occasions, Australia are very much the dominant force in the sport. They have 12 victories overall and have made the final a further three times since the first tournament back in 1954. Since 1968 they have won every single edition of the tournament bar Great Britain’s third and last success, in 1972, and that 2008 win for the Kiwis.
Whilst league is played in many countries around the world, it is only really in those three nations – and to a lesser extent France and various Pacific islands – where it has any sort of real foothold. In terms of fan popularity, Australia versus GB (or England!) is by far and away the biggest game, with New Zealand very wedded to union’s All Blacks, rather than league’s Kiwis.
Whilst GB versus Australia was the game that the supporters wanted, it didn’t do a great deal to grow the game. It was very much a case of preaching to the converted and the powers that be felt that by taking this fixture off the calendar and instead promoting the World Cup, they could attract new fans and a bigger audience overall.
Great Britain was split up into its constituent parts, with England, Scotland, Wales (and Ireland for that matter), all taking part in recent editions of the World Cup. Many excellent players who were eligible for either Australia or New Zealand also opted to play for the countries of their birth (or heritage). This meant that nations, such as Samoa (who made the final in 2021), and Tonga were far stronger and the theory was that a more competitive, exciting World Cup would help the game.
Other factors have been involved too, chiefly around the strength of the game in Australia, but fans on both sides will no doubt be hugely happy to see the return of this historic fixture. With home advantage and other schedule benefits, it would be great – both for the game and the home supporters – to see England win at least one game. It will be a tough test though, but three brilliant games and a chance to see the very best players in the world await.