This autumn, a great rugby league tradition is going to be revived, and it’s just 100 days until the highly anticipated third Test of the ABK Beer Ashes Series, which will take place at AMT Headingley Stadium.
In recent years, the iconic Headingley has really reestablished itself as the home of England Rugby League, hosting a number of Men’s and Women’s internationals.
It is a ground steeped in rich history and heritage from a rugby league perspective as well as a cricket Ashes perspective – and has been successful over the last two series (against Samoa and Tonga), where England have finished off on a high.
Most recently, England faced Samoa last November under the Headingley lights, securing a 2-0 Test series victory after a 34-16 win, which included two terrific Herbie Farnworth tries. Shaun Wane’s men were cheered on by a 16,000+ bumper crowd.
The year before that, England went on to whitewash Tonga 3-0 in the 2023 series, with the final match also being played out at Headingley. England won 26-4, again in front of an energetic crowd of over 15,000.
But can they do it a third time when they welcome Australia on Saturday 8 November for the ABK Beer Ashes?
This upcoming Ashes Test is a complete SELL-OUT and forms part of a series which sees England excitedly reignite their rivalry with the Aussies for the first time since 2017.
It is also the first Ashes Series since 2003 – something that has been 22 years in the making!
Both of England’s Samoa and Tonga Headingley tests formed part of double-headers with England Women, who faced Wales and produced two truly formidable performances, nilling their opponents on both occasions (60-0 and 82-0).
And the Aussies are no strangers to Headingley either, as in history, this famous stadium has staged a total of thirteen Ashes Tests, dating all the way back to 1921.
The first nine resulted in home wins, stretching from 1921 to 1967 – but the Kangaroos have won the last three, most recently completing a 3-0 series whitewash in 1982.
That last Ashes outing at Headingley came 43 years ago – where Great Britain were beaten by the then ‘invincible’ Aussies, as they lined up against the likes of Brett Kenny, Mal Meninga, Peter Sterling, Wally Lewis and Wayne Pearce.
The Lions fell to 8-32 defeat that day.
Did you also know that international rugby at Headingley dates back to before the creation of the Northern Union in 1895?
Leeds hosted the twelfth Calcutta Cup between England and Scotland in 1893 with the visitors winning two drop goals to nil in front of over 30,000. This was 16 years before the RFU opened Twickenham, which became England Rugby Union's permanent home.
And where international rugby league is concerned, Headingley has had great pleasure in hosting over 50 Test and international matches, as well as 17 World Cup games – including the 1970 final between Great Britain and Australia.
Australia claimed the spoils, 12-7.
New Zealand, the current second-best team in the world, have enjoyed visits to Headingley too – most notably in the 1980s and 1990s to play Great Britain.
The Kiwis pipped a 22-24 thriller, before Great Britain secured a 29-10 victory in 1993 with a memorable Andy Farrell try.
France have also been to Headingley on plenty of occasions.
Headingley also hosted a fixture in 1988 which saw Great Britain take on the Rest of the World and win 30-28. Legends David Stephenson, Ellery Hanley, Gary Schofield, Martin Offiah and Shaun Edwards were all on the scoresheet for that one.
In the latest Rugby League World Cup (2022), Australia entertained Fiji, while Ireland went head-to-head with Jamacia and New Zealand on the Headingley turf.
England Women then kicked off their World Cup campaign there with a convincing 72-4 victory over Brazil, before overpowering PNG Orchids 42-4 in their final group match, also at Headingley.
And come this autumn, it will be a new chapter of famous international history at Headingley as England take on the world's best once again in the Ashes Series.
Will you be there?
Rivalries will be reignited when England take on Australia in the ABK Beer Rugby League Ashes this autumn. The two nations will meet in a three-match test series over 20 years in the making and with the second and third test completely SOLD OUT; Wembley Stadium on Saturday 25 October is your only place to watch this fierce rivalry live!
Book your Wembley tickets here with prices starting from just £20 for adults and £10 for U16’s.
