England v Australia 2025 - coming to the UK!

[JohnM]

2 hours ago, Hanover XIII said:

I still wonder, looking back 20 years, how we capitulated so badly in the tri nations final with a pack of Fielden, Newton, Morley, Peacock, Farrell, Sculthorpe. 

Great Britain	Position	Australia
Paul Wellens	FB	Anthony Minichiello
Brian Carney	WG	Luke Rooney
Martin Gleeson	CE	Shaun Berrigan
Keith Senior	CE	Willie Tonga
Stuart Reardon	WG	Matt Sing
Iestyn Harris	SO/FE	Darren Lockyer (c)
Sean Long	SH/HB	Brett Kimmorley
Stuart Fielden	PR	Shane Webcke
Terry Newton	HK	Danny Buderus
Adrian Morley	PR	Petero Civoniceva
Jamie Peacock	SR	Andrew Ryan
Andy Farrell (c)	SR	Nathan Hindmarsh
Paul Sculthorpe	LF/LK	Tonie Carroll
Danny McGuire	Int.	Craig Wing
Paul Johnson	Int.	Mark O'Meley
Ryan Bailey	Int.	Craig Fitzgibbon
Sean O'Loughlin	Int.	Willie Mason
Brian Noble	Coach	Wayne Bennet

Tri-Nations Final at Elland Road on 27th November 2004 in front of 39,000.

 

We lived in France at the time and my wife and I watched the game on TV along with Robert Fassolette, plus a Geoff Heels, who we were trying to convert into a league fan. It was probably the most embarrassing evening ever, seeing us just give in like that.

Edited November 5, 2024 by JohnM

[Gooleboy]

2 hours ago, Hanover XIII said:

I still wonder, looking back 20 years, how we capitulated so badly in the tri nations final with a pack of Fielden, Newton, Morley, Peacock, Farrell, Sculthorpe. 

We used to play too many times without a recognised Stand Off. 

[Dunbar]

It's taken me almost 20 years to get over that tri nations final... and it gets brought up again.

Back to therapy. 

[Just Browny]

I think most of us are haunted by that one. I was first year at uni, stood with a haunted look in a bar in Fallowfield as the tries were run in. Great set of GB players, perhaps a bit one-paced compared to what England can put out today.

Over 180k in attendance at that series too.

[Damien]

1 hour ago, JohnM said:

Great Britain	Position	Australia
Paul Wellens	FB	Anthony Minichiello
Brian Carney	WG	Luke Rooney
Martin Gleeson	CE	Shaun Berrigan
Keith Senior	CE	Willie Tonga
Stuart Reardon	WG	Matt Sing
Iestyn Harris	SO/FE	Darren Lockyer (c)
Sean Long	SH/HB	Brett Kimmorley
Stuart Fielden	PR	Shane Webcke
Terry Newton	HK	Danny Buderus
Adrian Morley	PR	Petero Civoniceva
Jamie Peacock	SR	Andrew Ryan
Andy Farrell (c)	SR	Nathan Hindmarsh
Paul Sculthorpe	LF/LK	Tonie Carroll
Danny McGuire	Int.	Craig Wing
Paul Johnson	Int.	Mark O'Meley
Ryan Bailey	Int.	Craig Fitzgibbon
Sean O'Loughlin	Int.	Willie Mason
Brian Noble	Coach	Wayne Bennet

Tri-Nations Final at Elland Road on 27th November 2004 in front of 39,000.

 

We lived in France at the time and my wife and I watched the game on TV along with Robert Fassolette, plus a Geoff Heels, who we were trying to convert into a league fan. It was probably the most embarrassing evening ever, seeing us just give in like that.

Some big names but I'd take many of the current England team over that 17, particularly in the backs.

As much as that pack was vaunted they were regularly beaten by the Aussies over the course of the 80 minutes too.

[Hopie]

45 minutes ago, Dunbar said:

It's taken me almost 20 years to get over that tri nations final... and it gets brought up again.

Back to therapy. 

Bolton 2000, Elland Road 2004, Melbourne 2008, the pain is endless...

[MatthewWoody]

2 hours ago, JohnM said:

Great Britain	Position	Australia
Paul Wellens	FB	Anthony Minichiello
Brian Carney	WG	Luke Rooney
Martin Gleeson	CE	Shaun Berrigan
Keith Senior	CE	Willie Tonga
Stuart Reardon	WG	Matt Sing
Iestyn Harris	SO/FE	Darren Lockyer (c)
Sean Long	SH/HB	Brett Kimmorley
Stuart Fielden	PR	Shane Webcke
Terry Newton	HK	Danny Buderus
Adrian Morley	PR	Petero Civoniceva
Jamie Peacock	SR	Andrew Ryan
Andy Farrell (c)	SR	Nathan Hindmarsh
Paul Sculthorpe	LF/LK	Tonie Carroll
Danny McGuire	Int.	Craig Wing
Paul Johnson	Int.	Mark O'Meley
Ryan Bailey	Int.	Craig Fitzgibbon
Sean O'Loughlin	Int.	Willie Mason
Brian Noble	Coach	Wayne Bennet

Tri-Nations Final at Elland Road on 27th November 2004 in front of 39,000.

 

We lived in France at the time and my wife and I watched the game on TV along with Robert Fassolette, plus a Geoff Heels, who we were trying to convert into a league fan. It was probably the most embarrassing evening ever, seeing us just give in like that.

Some names

[Odsal Outlaw]

2 hours ago, Hopie said:

Bolton 2000, Elland Road 2004, Melbourne 2008, the pain is endless...

Melbourne 2008 I was at that one. Horrific.

[Adelaide Tiger]

8 hours ago, Odsal Outlaw said:

Melbourne 2008 I was at that one. Horrific.

So was I, and yes it was.

The only saving grace was that I stayed over for a few days and went to Flemington Park to watch the Melbourne Cup on the Tuesday.

[Spidey]

1 hour ago, Adelaide Tiger said:

So was I, and yes it was.

The only saving grace was that I stayed over for a few days and went to Flemington Park to watch the Melbourne Cup on the Tuesday.

Snap - although a day at the races made me miss my flight back to Sydney the day after, forking out for another flight and a taxi from the city to Parramatta was not in the plan but just about managed to make the Ireland game that evening.  

[Chris22]

The Sun reporting DW Stadium, Headingley or Elland Road and Tottenham or Wembley the likely venues.

 

[17 stone giant]

14 hours ago, JohnM said:

Tri-Nations Final at Elland Road on 27th November 2004 in front of 39,000.

I went to that game. Had high hopes of us being competitive and maybe even winning (stupid I know), but we got blown away in the first half. Looked like rabbits in the headlights. The Aussies were brilliant though.

[WN83]

33 minutes ago, Chris22 said:

The Sun reporting DW Stadium, Headingley or Elland Road and Tottenham or Wembley the likely venues.

 

About par in terms of ambition if it ended up being Wigan, Elland Road and one of those London venues. If a Leeds test was at Headingley, then I think that is underwhelming and we're selling the series short in terms of attendance. The rumours of a promotor wanting to run the London test would make sense looking at those venues. The RFL can give them that game and they can do as little work as possible in trying to make the other two games big events, at big stadiums. 

[Damien]

37 minutes ago, Chris22 said:

The Sun reporting DW Stadium, Headingley or Elland Road and Tottenham or Wembley the likely venues.

 

No way should we be playing Australia at Headingley and a sub 20k stadium. We should be doing better than Wigan in the North West too and can surely book one of the Football stadiums. A change of thinking, want venues sorted and want them sold, no sherlock!

RUGBY league bosses hope to get a home Ashes series signed and sealed, with hosts found, by the end of the year.

A change of thinking last week saw Australia decide to travel to these shores in 2025.

Now talks have started both with the Aussies and potential venues, with one in Yorkshire, one in the north west and one in London.

And sources have told SunSport they want everything in place sooner rather than later, as 'we want them sold.'

https://www.thesun.co.uk/sport/31532228/rugby-league-england-australia-ashes/

[Bull Mania]

If the DW or Headingley are booked heads need to roll at the RFL. Think small time, get small time. 

 

[Dave T]

Headingly won't be used. It's too small for an Ashes game. I expect 'Leeds' has just been mentioned.

DW, Elland Rd and Spurs is pretty much what was announced in 2020, to almost universal praise (Bolton instead of Wigan).

[gingerjon]

31 minutes ago, Dave T said:

Headingly won't be used. It's too small for an Ashes game. I expect 'Leeds' has just been mentioned.

DW, Elland Rd and Spurs is pretty much what was announced in 2020, to almost universal praise (Bolton instead of Wigan).

Bolton is slightly larger than Wigan but, after that, you move into grounds that are much bigger.

How brave are the RFL feeling?

[Hopie]

I'd rather we went to the NE than the NW for an opening test but if we are stuck with the NW crowds Wigan and Bolton are both pretty small stadia even taking into account that fans are less likely to show up west of the pennines, Man City's ground would be the ideal size we should be aiming to fill.

[M j M]

We know we can sell out Elland Road for big games. It's a horrific stadium that I'd gladly never go back to but its location and the track record of games in Leeds means there's no alternative. I'd hope talk of Headingley, for all its qualities and the historic link it has to Ashes series past, is just a lever to be used when it comes to negotiating with the soccer club on rental terms.

Edited November 6, 2024 by M j M

[Dave T]

4 minutes ago, gingerjon said:

Bolton is slightly larger than Wigan but, after that, you move into grounds that are much bigger.

How brave are the RFL feeling?

I think this is the middle ground. If we look at the last Ashes series, we had retracted to 3 x 25k grounds, so we are ahead of that.

If we use the 4N group games as a 3 test series, the most ambitious we had was probably London, Coventry and Wigan.

The last Kiwi series had Hull, Liverpool, Leeds.

Personally I'd just go with the 2020 plan, that's the biggest capacity we've had for a while and filling those grounds would deliver 120k or so and would be great progress.

[Dave T]

7 minutes ago, Hopie said:

I'd rather we went to the NE than the NW for an opening test but if we are stuck with the NW crowds Wigan and Bolton are both pretty small stadia even taking into account that fans are less likely to show up west of the pennines, Man City's ground would be the ideal size we should be aiming to fill.

Newcastle, Manchester City and Spurs would be a hell of an exciting set of venues and I'd certainly be planning for all 3.

[Odsal Outlaw]

I don’t think Headingley should be completely out of the question. If coupled with a Spurs and Man City as an example, it guarantees a full price sell out, with strong corporate sales and low costs and so profit would be big at Headingley whilst also creating demand for other two games by virtue of the sell out.

[JM2010]

Wembley/Spurs, Etihad and Elland Road for me

[The Future is League]

Are the RFL going to charge the Aussies for England's travels expenses from their hotel to the ground on match day? 

[Worzel]

17 hours ago, JohnM said:

Great Britain	Position	Australia
Paul Wellens	FB	Anthony Minichiello
Brian Carney	WG	Luke Rooney
Martin Gleeson	CE	Shaun Berrigan
Keith Senior	CE	Willie Tonga
Stuart Reardon	WG	Matt Sing
Iestyn Harris	SO/FE	Darren Lockyer (c)
Sean Long	SH/HB	Brett Kimmorley
Stuart Fielden	PR	Shane Webcke
Terry Newton	HK	Danny Buderus
Adrian Morley	PR	Petero Civoniceva
Jamie Peacock	SR	Andrew Ryan
Andy Farrell (c)	SR	Nathan Hindmarsh
Paul Sculthorpe	LF/LK	Tonie Carroll
Danny McGuire	Int.	Craig Wing
Paul Johnson	Int.	Mark O'Meley
Ryan Bailey	Int.	Craig Fitzgibbon
Sean O'Loughlin	Int.	Willie Mason
Brian Noble	Coach	Wayne Bennet

Tri-Nations Final at Elland Road on 27th November 2004 in front of 39,000.

 

We lived in France at the time and my wife and I watched the game on TV along with Robert Fassolette, plus a Geoff Heels, who we were trying to convert into a league fan. It was probably the most embarrassing evening ever, seeing us just give in like that.

Yup. What a depressing evening. A side on paper to really go toe-to-toe with the Aussies, and we just capitulated.