It may not have been the outcome we all hoped for when the Ashes finally returned to the rugby league calendar after a 22 year wait, but there was much more to the series than simply the action on the pitch. Here Rugby League World looks back on six off-field moments that helped make the 2025 series one to remember.
RING, RING!
THE revival of one of rugby league’s oldest rivalries deserved a special moment to mark it and that came at the London Stock Exchange the day before the opening test at Wembley.
England and Great Britain legend Martin Offiah MBE and Aussie great Gorden Tallis had the honour of ringing the bell to open that day’s trading.
Later that day, representatives from both sides visited Downing Street for a photoshoot outside Number 10.
LIVIN’ ON A PRAYER
NO, you really weren’t dreaming this one – American rock star Jon Bon Jovi really did have his picture taken with the Kangaroos squad the day before the opening test.
Why? The music legend was at Wembley to promote his 2026 tour at the same time as the Kangaroos were taking part in their captain’s run. So he joined them pitch-side, met the players and spoke briefly about his admiration for the sport saying: “These guys are tough. It’s football without helmets”.
RECORD BREAKERS
SOME cynics claim there isn’t much appetite for the international game in rugby league, but tell that to the 60,812 that turned up at Wembley for the opening test.
That was a new record-high for an Ashes game in this country, beating the previous best of 57,034, set at the old Wembley in 1994 when Jonathan Davies scored as Great Britain secured an 8-4 victory over the Kangaroos.
Sadly for England supporters, that result could not be replicated in 2025 and Australia claimed a 26-6 win.
TOFFEE TREAT
WHILE Wembley in game one didn’t sell out, game two did with Everton’s brand new Hill Dickinson Stadium hosting rugby league for the first time.
And it seems the majority of the 52,106 in attendance were fans of the new venue and created an electric atmosphere inside, with many calling for more games to be held there in future. But that capacity crowd wasn’t quite enough to see England level the series as Australia sealed the Ashes with a 14-4 win.
WHO’S THAT?
EAGLE-EYED spectators were quick to spot a new face in the Australian team ahead of the second test at Everton.
Notorious internet prankster Daniel Jarvis, who has found his way onto the pitch at many big sporting events, donned a green and gold jersey with ‘Jarvo 69’ on the back and took his place alongside Cameron Munster as the Kangaroos lined up for the national anthems.
He was swiftly led away by stadium security staff and later arrested by Merseyside police.
LEST WE FORGET
REMEMBRANCE Day weekend was marked at the third and final test at Headingley when both clubs laid a wreath on the pitch ahead of kick-off.
This was followed by the sounding of the Last Post by Cadet Jacob Gill and a minute’s silence to remember fallen heroes, while members of the Armed Forces Rugby League delivered the Ashes trophy to the pitch ahead of the players’ entrance. England also wore a specially-produced poppy-inspired red kit for the game.
First published in Rugby League World magazine, Issue 515 (December 2025)