Men's rugby league Ashes
The Ashes series is a best-of-three series of test matches between Australia and England national rugby league football teams.
Named after the cricket series of the same name, the series was initially contested between the Australia and Great Britain national teams. The series first took place in 1908, and was contested 39 times until 2003, with hosting usually alternating between the two countries. Since 1973, Australia has won a record thirteen consecutive Ashes series.
After a hiatus of over 20 years, the Ashes series was revived in [2025 Kangaroo tour of England national rugby league team|England and France|2025]. The series will continue as a best-of-three test match series between Australia and England.
Origin
The term "Ashes" originated in cricket, with several other sporting events adopting the concept, and by the beginning of the 20th century it was an "accepted principle" that a test series had to have at least three matches to be a true test of which side was the best, leading to the modern day best of five in cricket and best of three in rugby league. For a brief period, the games were known as "Winter Ashes" and "Summer Ashes" reflecting the time of year the two sport's were traditionally play. Before Australia and Great Britain began contesting the Ashes in rugby league, Australia also contested Ashes in rugby union against New Zealand until it was placed by the Bledisloe Cup in 1931.History
Australia vs Great Britain
The first rugby league Ashes tour began on 27 September 1908, when the side arrived in England. They played their first Ashes Test against in December in London, with two further tests played. The vast majority of subsequent series were played as a best of three competition.In 1911–12 and 1921–22, the Australia team included New Zealand players so were styled "Australasia" for these series.
In the 1929–30 Ashes series both teams won one game and one game was drawn, so a further match was held to determine the outcome.
In 1948, Greater Britain officially adopted the name after being named "Northern Union XIII", "England", and "The Lions" on previous tours.
Since 1964 the Harry Sunderland Medal is awarded to the best Australian player in a home Ashes series.
Great Britain's last win was in 1970. Australia won 13 consecutive Ashes, 5 of those being 3–0 series wins, and saw a record 15 game winning streak between 1978 and 1988 which was ended by a famous third test victory for Great Britain in Sydney by 26–12.
The 1982 Kangaroos became the first side to go through a tour of Great Britain and France undefeated. This earned the team the nickname "The Invincibles". The 1986 Kangaroos repeated this feat and would be known as "The Unbeatables".
In 1997 a Super League Test series of three matches between Great Britain and Australia was played with the Australia side being made up of Super League aligned players, however this is not considered an Ashes series.
The Ashes were contested only twice after this, in 2001 and 2003, both won by Australia.
Hiatus
In 2009 with the prospect of not contesting them until after the 2013 World Cup, Britain's Rugby Football League challenged the Australian Rugby League to play the round-robin stage match of the Four Nations tournament with the Ashes at stake. The one-off game would be a departure from the usual three-match series, additionally the contest would be between England, rather than Great Britain, and Australia. The ARL initially agreed to the proposal but later, facing hostility from former Ashes players and fans who thought the proposals devalued the Ashes, the two governing bodies decided not to proceed.In 2016, newly appointed Australian team coach Mal Meninga, who as a player was selected to a record 4 Kangaroo Tours and played in a record 6 Ashes series, publicly advocated for a return of the Kangaroo Tours which would see The Ashes revived in 2020. The proposed 2020 series was cancelled in June 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. It was suggested that the series may instead be played in 2022; however, this never eventuated. In October 2022, Meninga stated that talks were underway for a potential Ashes tour of England in 2024.
Revival: Australia vs England
On 3 August 2023, the revival of The Ashes was announced by International Rugby League as part of their new 7-year international calendar and long-term strategy for growth of the international game. The revamped competition was also scheduled to feature a women's test series for the first time, with the first edition to take place in 2025.On 26 March 2025, the inaugural edition of the modern Ashes series confirmed by the Rugby Football League, with matches held at Wembley Stadium, Bramley-Moore Dock Stadium, and Headingley, with all three matches shown on BBC One and BBC iPlayer.
Ahead of the 2025 event, the RFL and ARLC announced a new player of the series award, the Fulton-Reilly award, named after Ashes legends Bob Fulton and Mal Reilly. The inaugural awarded was won by Cameron Munster.
The 2025 Ashes was spectated by 132,418 proving to be one of the most popular international rugby league events in recent times in the United Kingdom. The series also ranked third in the most spectated Ashes series held in the UK after 1990 and 1994. Australia won the series 3–0, with the next Ashes to be played in 2028.
Trophy
In 1928, the City Tattersalls Club in Sydney, Australia donated a trophy to be the prize, the "Ashes Cup".The Cup's inscription reads:
INTERNATIONAL
RUGBY LEAGUE FOOTBALL
Australia v England
Presented by
CITY TATTERSALLS CLUB
The Cup was first presented in 1928 to The Lions, after they defeated Australia 2–1 in the series. Following the 1933–34 series, in which England retained the Cup for the third time since first being presented with it, the Cup disappeared in the United Kingdom and was not found until October 1945. The trophy had been on display at a function in Ilkley, Yorkshire and afterwards was returned to the manager of the Griffin Hotel, Leeds - where the English Rugby League management met - but this was not made clear to the English authorities and instead in laid overlooked in a box for 12 years. During the period it was missing, Great Britain had won each series and the Cup's disappearance was not widely known. The Australian team first won the Cup in 1950.
In preparation for the Legends of League exhibition at the National Museum of Australia in 2008, marking a Centenary of Rugby League in Australia, the Ashes Cup underwent preservation work.
Records and statistics
| Played | Won by Australia | Won by Great Britain/England | Drawn | All Series | 40 | 21 | 19 | 0 | |
| Series in Australia | 19 | 9 | 10 | 0 | - | - | - | - | - |
| Series in Great Britain/England | 21 | 12 | 9 | 0 | All Tests | 120 | 62 | 54 | 4 |
| Tests in Australia | 59 | 30 | 28 | 1 | - | - | - | - | - |
| Tests in Great Britain/England | 61 | 32 | 26 | 3 | - | - | - | - | - |
Highest attendance
Australia – 70,204 at the Sydney Cricket Ground, Sydney, 6 June 1932Great Britain/England – 60,812 at Wembley Stadium, London, 25 October 2025Lowest attendance
Australia – 15,944 at the Sydney Football Stadium, Sydney, 9 July 1988Great Britain – 2,000 at the Park Royal Ground, London, 12 October 1908Highest attended Ashes series
Australia – 179,816 in 1954Great Britain – 140,432 in 1994Lowest attended Ashes series
Australia – 60,000 in 1910Great Britain – 33,000 in 1908–09Highest score
Australia 50–12 Great Britain at Station Road, Swinton, 9 November 1963Great Britain 40–17 Australia at Sydney Cricket Ground, Sydney, 19 July 1958Biggest win
- 38 points – Australia 50–12 Great Britain at Station Road, Swinton, 9 November 1963
- 23 points – Great Britain 40–17 Australia at Sydney Cricket Ground, Sydney, 19 July 1958
Most tries in an Ashes test
Australia3 – Jim Devereux at Park Royal Ground, London, 12 December 1908
3 – Reg Gasnier at Station Road, Swinton, 17 October 1959
3 – Reg Gasnier at Wembley Stadium, 16 October 1963
3 – Ken Irvine at Station Road, Swinton, 9 November 1963
3 – Ken Irvine at Sydney Cricket Ground, Sydney, 23 July 1966
3 – Gene Miles at Old Trafford, Manchester, 25 October 1986
3 – Michael O'Connor at Old Trafford, Manchester, 25 October 1986
Most goals in an Ashes test
Australia10 – by Michael Cronin at Sydney Cricket Ground, Sydney, 16 June 1979Great Britain
10 – by Lewis Jones at Brisbane Cricket Ground, Brisbane, 9 July 1954
Most points in an Ashes test
Australia22 by Michael O'Connor at Old Trafford, Manchester, 25 October 1986Great Britain
20 by Lewis Jones at Brisbane Cricket Ground, Brisbane, 9 July 1954
20 - Roger Millward at Sydney Cricket Ground, Sydney, 20 June 1970
Most points in an Ashes series
Australia48 by Mal Meninga in 1982Great Britain
30 by Lewis Jones in 1954
Most points in all Ashes tests
Australia108 by Mal Meninga Great Britain
62 by Jim Sullivan
Tries in each test of an Ashes series
AustraliaKen Irvine, 1962 and 1963
Sam Backo, 1988
Mal Meninga, 1990Great Britain
George Tyson, 1908–09
Johnny Thomas, 1908–09 and 1910
Jim Leytham, 1910
Jonty Parkin, 1924
Ike Southward, 1958
Garry Schofield, 1986
Most games as captain
Australia9 by Clive Churchill
9 by Wally Lewis
9 by Mal Meninga Great Britain
10 by Jim Sullivan