This Saturday, a great rugby league tradition is going to be revived, as the third and final Test of the ABK Beer Ashes Series takes 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 taste victory a third time when they welcome Australia on Saturday for the ABK Beer Ashes Series' third and final Test?
This upcoming Ashes Test is a complete SELL-OUT and England will be hoping to finish the series strongly and avoid a 3-0 defeat to the Kangaroos.
Did you know that 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)?
Impressive!
And the Aussies are no strangers to Headingley either, as in history, this famous stadium has staged a total of twelve 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 with a number of current Aussie stars lining up in the 42-8 victory.
Meanwhile, 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 weekend, it will be a new chapter of famous international history at Headingley as England face the world's best once again in the Ashes Series.
Will you be there to cheer on England in the final test?
The ABK Beer Ashes Series concludes on Saturday 8 November as the Third Test takes place at AMT Headingley Stadium in Leeds (K.O. 2:30pm).
It’s a complete sell-out, with Shaun Wane's England side looking to finish the series on a high!
The match will also be available to watch live on BBC One, with information on overseas coverage available here.
