Rugby League will show honour and respect as Third Ashes Test falls on Remembrance Weekend

Rugby League will honour the sacrifices of many generations as the Third Ashes Test falls on Remembrance Weekend.

Shaun Wane’s England team will be playing in a red kit* produced specifically for this occasion, and there will be a ceremony of Remembrance in the ten minutes before the 230pm kick-off.

Members of the Armed Forces Rugby League will deliver the 97-year-old Ashes trophy to the AMT Headingley pitch at 220pm, followed by the laying of wreaths by representatives of England and Australia as the teams emerge from the tunnel underneath the North Stand.

The Last Post will then be played by Cdt Jacob Gill, followed by one minute’s silence.

That will be followed by the National Anthems – with Rebecca Hart singing Advance Australia Fair, before Laura Wright sings God Save the King.

Members of the England Wheelchair team, who have returned this week from an Ashes-winning campaign in Australia in which they also wore the red Remembrance kit in the Second Test last weekend, will also be presented to the crowd.

And after the match, the Ashes Trophy will be presented to Australia, with an additional presentation of the Fulton-Reilly Award for the player of the series.

In contrast to the solemnity of the Remembrance tributes, the preceding half hour will feature a repeat of the DJ set from Tony Perry which generated such a fantastic atmosphere at Everton’s Hill Dickinson Stadium last Saturday – as RL Commercial celebrates the return of Ashes Rugby League to Headingley, one of the sport’s most iconic venues, after a 43-year absence.

*The England team will wear a limited-edition poppy-inspired shirt to honour the service and sacrifice of the Armed Forces, in a unique and powerful tribute to those who have served and continue to serve the nation. 

Fans still have time to purchase England's poppy shirt ahead of Saturday, by clicking here.

In support of the Royal British Legion, £5 from every shirt sold will be donated to support the charity’s vital work with the Armed Forces community.