Men's rugby league Ashes

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 squad of the 1908–09 Ashes squad of the 1910 Ashes The first rugby league Ashes tour began on 27 September 1908, when the side arrived in England. They played their first Ashes Test against (despite being called England) 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 (1979, 1982, 1984, 1986 and 2003) 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 (something never achieved on a Lions tour, though they came close in 1954 losing just 2 games). 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 (RFL) challenged the Australian Rugby League (ARL) 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 (the last two as captain) and played in a record 6 Ashes series (1982, 1984, 1986, 1990, 1992 and 1994 - playing a record 17 Ashes tests, only missing 1988 through injury), 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; Revival: Australia vs England kicking off first test of the modern Ashes era at Wembley Stadium in 2025 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 (though this was later cancelled). 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: 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. ==Results==

Highest attendance • Australia – 70,204 at the Sydney Cricket Ground, Sydney, 6 June 1932 • Great Britain/England – 60,812 at Wembley Stadium, London, 25 October 2025 Lowest attendance • Australia – 15,944 at the Sydney Football Stadium, Sydney, 9 July 1988 • Great Britain – 2,000 at the Park Royal Ground, London, 12 October 1908 Highest attended Ashes series • Australia – 179,816 in 1954 • Great Britain – 140,432 in 1994 Lowest attended Ashes series • Australia – 60,000 in 1910 • Great Britain – 33,000 in 1908–09 Highest score • Australia 50–12 Great Britain at Station Road, Swinton, 9 November 1963 • Great Britain 40–17 Australia at Sydney Cricket Ground, Sydney, 19 July 1958 Biggest 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 23 points - Great Britain 33–10 Australia at Princes Park, Melbourne, 26 June 1992 Most tries in an Ashes test • Australia 3 – 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 • Australia 10 – by Michael Cronin at Sydney Cricket Ground, Sydney, 16 June 1979 • Great Britain 10 – by Lewis Jones at Brisbane Cricket Ground, Brisbane, 9 July 1954 Most points in an Ashes test • Australia 22 (3 tries, 5 goals) by Michael O'Connor at Old Trafford, Manchester, 25 October 1986 • Great Britain 20 (10 goals) by Lewis Jones at Brisbane Cricket Ground, Brisbane, 9 July 1954 20 (2 tries, 6 goals, 1 field goal) - Roger Millward at Sydney Cricket Ground, Sydney, 20 June 1970 Most points in an Ashes series • Australia 48 (2 tries, 21 goals) by Mal Meninga in 1982 • Great Britain 30 (15 goals) by Lewis Jones in 1954 Most points in all Ashes tests • Australia 108 (9 tries, 37 goals) by Mal Meninga (17 tests – 1982–1994) • Great Britain 62 (31 goals) by Jim Sullivan (15 tests – 1924–1933) Tries in each test of an Ashes series • Australia Ken Irvine, 1962 and 1963 Sam Backo, 1988 Mal Meninga, 1990 • Great 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 • Australia 9 by Clive Churchill (1950–1954) 9 by Wally Lewis (1984–1988) 9 by Mal Meninga (1990–1994) • Great Britain 10 by Jim Sullivan (1928–1933) Most games as coach • Australia – 12 by Frank Stanton (1978–1984) • Great Britain – 9 by Mal Reilly (1988–1992) Clean Sweeps • Australia – 1979, 1982, 1984, 1986, 2003, 2025 • Great Britain – 1910, 1933, 1948–49 ==See also==