Australia and England will compete for the first rugby league Ashes series in 22 years – with Everton’s new stadium confirmed as a host venue
Australia will return to England later this autumn to compete for the first Ashes series in 22 years.
The Kangaroos will contest for the coveted title over a three-Test series, with the reigning world champions having also not played England in eight years.
Speculation had gathered in recent months over the revival of the huge rivalry, with the Australian Rugby League Commission confirming the news on Wednesday.
The series is set to begin at Wembley Stadium on October 25, with Everton’s new stadium on the Bramley Moore Dock will host the second Test on November 1. The series will conclude at the AMT Headingley Stadium in Leeds on November 8.
The teams last met in the final of the 2017 rugby league World Cup in Brisbane with the Kangaroos securing a 6-0 victory.
Australian Rugby League Commission chairman, Peter V’landys said: ‘We are proud to revive one of the great Rugby League traditions with the first Ashes series and Kangaroo Tour of England in 22 years.
‘The ARLC believes in the international game and the Commission was behind this historic tour to support the growth of the game in the North.
England and Australia will compete for the rugby league Ashes series again for the first time in 22 years
The tour will take place in England in October, with both sides having met last back in 2017
‘Kangaroo Tours are an iconic part of Rugby League folklore and have always delivered thrilling contests.
‘The current generation of Kangaroos players have never experienced the magic of a Kangaroo Tour, and I’m delighted that they will have a chance to cement their own legacy alongside the greats of the past.’
Opportunities for both sides to square off against each other have become fleeting in the years since Great Britain’s dissolution.
A revival of the series had been planned for 2020 but complications due to the Covid-19 pandemic forced the series to be postponed.
The first Ashes series took place in 1908 and 1909 and across 118 Ashes series Tests, Australia have beaten Great Britain 59 times while Great Britain won 54 Tests. It means the Kangaroos lead Great Britain 20 to 19 in series victories.
With the NRL and Super League expanding to play opening round matches in Las Vegas over the past two seasons, rugby league bosses are looking for ways to grow the sport – and the appetite appears to be there.
The Kangaroos recently featured in a highly successful Pacific Championship, which also included teams like Tonga, Samoa and New Zealand.
While State of Origin remains the peak of domestic rugby league in Australia, Australia coach Mal Meninga believes the Ashes series is the ‘ultimate’ international prize.
A revival of the series had been planned for 2020 but complications due to the Covid-19 pandemic forced the series to be postponed
The second Test in the series will take place at Everton’s brand new Bramley Moore stadium
Australian coach Mal Meninga is excited for the series and said it was the pinnacle of international rugby league
‘The Ashes series between Australia and England is what our international game has been built on. I think it is the ultimate,’ Meninga, who played on four Ashes tours in the 80s and 90s, said.
‘We love the history, which goes back to [the first Kangaroo Tour in] 1908 and 1909, but we haven’t had a chance to play England since 2017 and from an Ashes point of view we haven’t played since 2003.
‘To be able to play at Wembley, at the new stadium in Everton – where no other team has been before- and then going back to the tradition of Headingley, that is exciting.’
With the 2026 World Cup fast approaching, Meninga says his players will be chomping at the bit to get their hands on a Kangaroos jersey.
‘I like to be loyal, but a lot of things can happen in the coming months, and with the announcement that we are going to have an Ashes tour at the end of the year I think it will make everyone more excited about staying fit, playing really well and being available to be selected,’ Meninga said.
‘I know that even last year when we were in camp for the Pacific Championships, one of the aims of the team was going back on a tour and a lot of the players who were involved in the World Cup really enjoyed the atmosphere that the crowds in England bought and the stadiums over there.
‘We also want to make a statement leading into the World Cup in 2026, so it is an important part of the journey for us.’
