It’s been a long time between drinks when it comes to celebrating an Ashes series victory over Australia, but beyond champagne corks popping at Headingley on 9th November, what other benefits would such a success for England bring for rugby league?
CAN YOU imagine how it might feel? Waking up on the morning of Sunday, 9th November with the slow dawning that 55 years of hurt have ended? And that’s because the day before England defeated Australia at Headingley to win back the Ashes for the first time since 1970. Seriously. Ask yourself again. How might that feel?
Few people in this country will have been at the Sydney Cricket Ground all those years ago, so you’d need to be at least 66 years old to have been at Central Park, Wigan the last time the Ashes were won on home soil in 1959 (and even then, you’d be way too young to remember). One person who was is long-time fan Alan Kirkpatrick from Manchester. “It seems such a long time ago,” he says. “And that’s because it is, I’m now 81. It was thrilling, all we could talk about for the next week at school. Obviously, we’d no idea that today we’d still be waiting for it to happen again.”
But if it did, what might it mean for rugby league in this country? A sport often accused of insularity and widely ignored by mainstream media. “It’s huge for us. Just the announcement last year that the Ashes would probably be played here spurred interest,” says David Baines, the St Helens North MP and chair of the All-Party Parliamentary Rugby League Group.
It took another four months for confirmation, but in this instance it’s definitely a case of better late than never. “I was brought up watching the Ashes,” says England coach Shaun Wane. “There was nothing like it. We can sell this to young supporters who can at last experience what I experienced growing up. It can provide a massive boost to our clubs too, people seeing this great sport on the biggest stage and wanting more.” There are test matches in London, Liverpool and Leeds and the RFL’s publicity machine is in overdrive.
But, should it come to pass, how do we take advantage of a (perhaps against-the-odds) home Ashes victory? One hope expressed by Baines was for the series to be broadcast on terrestrial, prime-time television. He got his wish. All matches are on the BBC at 2.30pm on Saturdays, the time casual fans start hunting around for free, high-quality sport. “We have to ensure people know it’s there and that it’s a big deal,” he adds. “Whatever your opinion on it, Vegas should be our model.”
Sky realised this, realising that, as a promotional tool for their coverage of the sport, the action from the USA should be on free-to-view TV. People not associated with rugby league paid attention to Wigan and Warrington’s stateside jaunt. The BBC even sent a reporter. A similar opportunity exists with the Ashes.
The venues themselves show ambition, with around 160,000 tickets up for grabs. Any sport wanting to take itself seriously should aspire to play at our national stadium (and to be seen playing there) while a game at Everton’s new home, Bramley-Moore Dock, was a statement of intent – putting rugby league on a shiny new stage in reach of most of its heartland supporters. The choice of Headingley as a venue for (what we hope won’t be) a dead rubber is also eminently sensible, although the fact that both it – and Everton – have already sold out has perhaps left the RFL wishing they’d opted for the third test to be played at Elland Road. Filling Wembley is not a necessity, but presumably the aim is to better the 54,569 who attended the 1990 Ashes test there.
Rhodri Jones, managing director of RL Commercial, believes that’s a strong possibility, while managing expectations. “We took careful note of the economics before selecting the venues. For Wembley the first target is to break through 50,000,” he says, “meaning the lower bowl and middle tier are full. If we got 80,000 or more, we’d be delighted. Meanwhile, selling out Everton and Headingley out so soon is huge.”
So, lots of positive news. But can the Ashes actually change the fortunes of rugby league, a sport whose TV contract has shrunk, not grown, in recent years? Short answer: no. But what it can do is remind people our game still exists and when played at the highest level has few peers. That, World Cups aside, has been missing from our stadiums and, more significantly, our screens for two decades or more.
With international rugby league returning to London for the first time since the 2022 England-Samoa semi-final, there is an opportunity to enthuse the capital’s public by recreating the atmosphere from those wonderful, winning Ashes tests of 1990 and 1994 – Paul Eastwood’s tries, Jonathan Davies scoring in the corner. Back then, and also for the World Cup Finals of 1992 and 1995, fans from the south-east provided two-fifths of the audiences. Some readers may recall the rollercoaster effect of 1995. What was billed beforehand as an underwhelming World Cup tournament took life once England beat Australia in the opening match at Wembley. When the final rolled around, TV audiences throughout the country had tripled.
Success in international competition reaps rewards. “Look what winning the Euros did for women’s football,” says Baines. That sport overtook rugby league both in terms of playing and spectating numbers. That said, women’s football does not have the same geographical constraints rugby league does. Which is where having a convincing international dimension comes in.
Troy Grant, chair of International Rugby League, understands the importance of the Ashes and the international game, especially to England. “International rugby league is on a realistic rebuild,” he told RLW. “The Ashes is a big part of that. It will be a fillip to the British game. We need this sport consistently showcased by putting an attractive product before as many eyeballs as possible. International rugby league, all international sports, attract wider attention from outside their local bubbles than domestic sport.”
If you are inclined to think otherwise, the return of the Ashes has already been noted by our usually dismissive national print media. The Guardian, the Daily Mail and The Daily Telegraph all ran stories. Even long-time rugby league baiter, Stephen Jones of The Times was moved to comment that “the pinnacle of international rugby league has returned”. “It can be a huge shot in the arm,” says Rhodri Jones.
Of course, we shouldn’t kid ourselves. Rugby league’s structural problems run deeper than a single Ashes series (victorious or otherwise) can resolve. But the Wembley victories of 1990 and 1994 provided a massive confidence boost to a sport desperate for a change in fortunes. The vibe was suddenly transformed to one of buoyant optimism.
London Broncos CEO Jason Loubser is aware of the possibilities. “Big rugby league events in London are an exciting opportunity for the club,” he says. “We will capitalisie on this, especially targeting London’s large Australian community and the tens of thousands of rugby league fans coming to the capital.”
The 1992 final saw a then world record attendance of 73,631 boosted by the RFL’s excellent “Will the Aussies catch Offiah at Wembley?” marketing campaign on the London Underground, something surely worth repeating. The game was on a national stage, casual sports fans were invested in the outcome. Research shows that sports with a credible international programme are more instantly recognisable when put before the general public, have more players likely to be household names and, in general, have higher income streams. If there’s one thing rugby league is perennially short of, it’s money.
These are the benefits reaped by so many other sports from rugby union’s Lions tours, to England women’s Euro football victory, to cricket’s Ashes. It doesn’t need stating, but the thought of cricket not playing an Ashes series for 22 years is unthinkable. It shouldn’t happen in rugby league either. But whatever the reason for the hiatus, our Ashes are back. And it’s an opportunity the sport in this country should grab with both hands. As well as the winner’s trophy.
First published in Rugby League World magazine, Issue 508 (May 2025)
