kicking off for at the first test at
Wembley Stadium of kicking off for the second half In March 2025, France head coach
Laurent Frayssinous revealed in an interview with
L'Indépendant that the three fixtures against England had been scheduled for 25 October, 1 November, and 8 November, and that then Australia head coach
Mal Meninga had requested a warm up game against – a request endorsed by the
French Rugby League Federation. This game however was vetoed by Australia's
Rugby League Players Association and was replaced with two joint training sessions between the French and Australian national teams in London. Fixtures against England were confirmed on 26 March. and were based at
St Marys University in
Twickenham ahead of the Wembley test. Ahead of each fixture,
God Save the King was performed by English
mezzo-soprano Laura Wright, and
Advance Australia Fair was performed by Australian-French mezzo-soprano Rebecca Hart. DJ Tony Perry also performed pre-match entertainment at each test.
Officiating Both governing bodies, the RFL and ARLC, appointed a referee from their respective panel of officials. Liam Moore was the RFL's choice and refereed the first test, whereas
Grant Atkins was the choice of the ARLC and took charge of the second test. Both referees were assessed on pre-agreed criteria with the best performing official being given the job for the third test. Atkins was appointed as match official for the third and final test. The two governing bodies also agreed that
golden point overtime would only be used in the third match if needed to decide the series and that the first two games could end as draws.
First test The first test saw a closely contested first half with England responding well following
Reece Walsh's opening try. However, Australia's superior quality, evident in the first half, played out in the second; the Kangaroos dominated the game scoring three unanswered tries with a second half brace from
Angus Crichton in addition to Walsh getting a second. A late England resurgence in the final five minutes saw a consolation try for the hosts scored by
Daryl Clark. Australia captain,
Isaah Yeo, failed a head injury assessment early in the first half and was ruled out for the second test. The attendance of 60,812 set the record for the highest attended
Ashes game held in the UK. Despite this, the match drew criticism for its "flat" atmosphere, particularly attributed to England's performance, but also with Wembley being far outside England's traditional rugby league territory and the stadium being only two thirds full.
Second test during the second test The second test saw an improved first half performance from England, however they were unable to take advantage, despite going over the try line twice only for both to be denied by the video referee. A tryless first half saw two penalties apiece converted by
Harry Smith and
Nathan Cleary respectively after ill discipline from both sides. The second half, as in the first test, saw Australia take control of the game with two tries in four minutes early in the half, by
Cameron Munster and
Hudson Young. England could not capitalise on
Reece Walsh's sin bin, resulting in Australia winning the game and the Ashes with a final score of 14–4.
Third test The third and final test saw a far more even game in terms of quality across the 80 minutes. However England errors led to three of Australia's five tries, most of these tries coming in the final quarter of the game. This all resulted in a 30–8 victory for Australia and a 3–0 Ashes series whitewash. ==Broadcasting==