Rugby League Ashes 2025: England v Australia Kangaroos

[JOGAMIGMOG]

That’s what I thought n’all.

Australia have played England and Wales separately as warm-up matches, as part of old Ashes tours.

It should be Great Britain.

Like some of the ex-players in those videos I posted above said, playing for Great Britain was a pinnacle! Whenever Aussies used to be on Sky’s Super League Superstars, they all used to say that playing for the Kangeroos against Great Britain was the pinnacle of their careers, above State of Origins or World Cups. Jamie Peacock once said the only shirt he has framed and on the wall at home was one of his Great Britain shirts and has also said ‘when you wear the Great Britain shirt, you're just aware you're standing on the shoulders of giants, you're aware of all the previous people who've worn that shirt’.

‘England’ just doesn’t hold that prestige, culture or history.

England have only ever won the minor European Championships, all our major history and success has come as Great Britain: 3 time World Cup winners, 19 Ashes series wins, 10 Ashes series wins in Australia, Jim Dveruaux’s hattrick in 1908, Dave Valentine lifting the first ever World Cup and this country’s first ever World Cup win in any major sport in 1954, Eric Ashton being the only Brit to lift a World Cup for this country in any major sport for a second time in 1960, Roger Millward’s 2 tries 6 conversions and 1 drop goal in 1970, Clive Sullivan being the first black British national team captain and World Cup winner and try scorer in the final in any sport in 1972, Henderson-Gill’s ‘Boogy-woogy’ and Mike Gregory’s try in Sydney in 1988, Sean Edwards’ red card and Jiffy’s try at Wembley in 1994, Adrian Morley’s red card after 12 seconds in 2003 in a series where we were winning every game with a few minutes to go but ended up losing in a 0-3 series (we were only behind for a combined 7 minutes across the series and lost all three games!)…

I’ll stop going on about it after this post, haha, but I genuinely find it detrimental to the culture of the sport of Rugby League that Great Britain was ever discontinued.

The Ashes n’all… listening to Sam Burgess, Gareth Widdop and Kallum Watkins on that first video above; none of them ever played in an Ashes series. Danny Maguire, Rob Burrow, Kevin Sinfield, Sam Tomkins, James Graham, James Roby… never got to play an Ashes series in their careers. That’s such a shame for those players. All eras greats should get the chance to play in them.

The governing bodies of this sport run the intentional game very poorly.

Excellent knowledge. Good point well made and difficult to argue against it - so I won’t!
Didn’t see any of the game yesterday as I was out all day. Seems we got off to a bad start and never recovered. Onwards and upwards. Wish I was going to Scouseland for the next one as should be a cracker.

 

[Tim of the Oak]

Pretty predictable stuff. -12.5 on the handicap was an easy call. Now they're warmed up, I suspect it'll be even more one sided next week.

Who was that scouse guy on commentary?

James Graham, who used to get bullied around Headingley by Ryan Bailey.

 

[Tim of the Oak]

A non contest. Australians better in every department.

Aussie podcasters are even claiming the ref was an Aussie!

 

[.db.]

England squad for the second Ashes test today sees Bateman, Harvard and Welsby dropped, with Smith, Smithies and Watkins coming into the squad.

In the starting XIII I reckon Trout will replace Bateman, any one from McMeeken Oledski or Smithies to replace Havard, and Brimson will replace Welsby from the three dropped. But also I think Smith might replace Williams so we have someone with a kicking game.

Matty Lees had broken his eye socket in training before the first test, and you could tell there was something not right with him in the game. But he’s been selected again and I reckon will play as he must have been convincing in training that he’ll be alright to play and will be better.


England squad

AJ Brimson
Daryl Clark
Herbie Farnworth
Tom Johnstone
Morgan Knowles
Matty Lees
Mikey Lewis
Jez Litten
Mike McMeeken
Mikolaj Oledzki
Kai Pearce-Paul
Harry Smith
Morgan Smithies
Owen Trout
Alex Walmsley
Jake Wardle
Kallum Watkins
George Williams
Dom Young


Australia squad

Reece Walsh
Mark Nawaqanitawase
Kotoni Staggs
Gehamat Shibasaki
Josh Addo-Carr
Cameron Munster
Nathan Cleary
Lindsay Collins
Harry Grant (c)
Tino Fa’asuamaleaui
Angus Crichton
Hudson Young
Patrick Carrigan
Tom Dearden
Lindsay Smith
Reuben Cotter
Keaon Koloamatangi
Bradman Best
Jacob Preston
Mitchell Moses

Isaah Yeo misses out due to concussion from last week and Lindsay Smith replaces him in the squad. Cotter will be a straight swap for Yeo in the XIII. Other than that I reckon they’ll have the same XIII as last week.

Hill Dickinson Stadium sold out in a few weeks for this test. I’m hoping the Northern crowd will be more into it this week. Fans are close to the pitch and hopefully it’s a much more rowdy and intimidating affair.

Remember the atmosphere at the 1990 second test at Old Trafford? Hoping for something more like that than the dead atmosphere at Wembley last week.

 

[.db.]

Episode 2 of ‘Chasing History’:

 

[MillionMilesAway]

Different game today. An immediate penalty for a third man leaning on a completed tackle, a yellow each for joining a scrap and a forward pass given!

 

[MeatnSpudsMCFC]

Sin bins for pushing and shoving. Good grief.

 

[MillionMilesAway]

They seemed a bit cheap, but thee were continued swinging arms.laying a marker down, I guess.
The main commentator is cheerleading without any interst in actual play or the ref's words

 

[.db.]

This is much more like it from England.
Kallum Watkins and Mike McMeeken have started very well. Our kicking game is miles better with Smith.

The ref’s an Aussie ****.

The volume of the crowd on the BBC is terrible. Put some mics around the pitch and turn them up you cheap bastards.

 

[.db.]

Sin bins for pushing and shoving. Good grief.

When you think what Willie Mason got away with in Sydney in 2006…

 

[MillionMilesAway]

Even Hunter-Paul is saying it's loud

 

[mexico1970]

This is much more like it from England.
Kallum Watkins and Mike McMeeken have started very well. Our kicking game is miles better with Smith.

The ref’s an Aussie ****.

The volume of the crowd on the BBC is terrible. Put some mics around the pitch and turn them up you cheap bastards.

Nowt worse than sanitised sound at a sporting event.

 

[.db.]

Even Hunter-Paul is saying it's loud

Atmosphere sounded great when it cut to him pitchside, then back to commentary and you can just make out the feint sound of a drum being hit.

 

[.db.]

Video Ref is a **** n’all… Young never lost that whatsoever!

 

[threespires]

Video Ref is a **** n’all… Young never lost that whatsoever!

He's been to VAR school!

 

[MillionMilesAway]

Terrible decision on Young

 

[MillionMilesAway]

Good half. Much faster than last week. Thre's no space for either side

 

[.db.]

Good half!

Brimson showing much more than Welsby did.
Young and Johnstone made good meters and stuck up for Litten in the scuffle.
Farnworth always dangerous.
Smith and Williams look a much better pair, Smith’s kicking game is good and Williams has more space with Smith on the ball first.

Litten has been class.
McMeeken was the best player on the pitch in his half hour before his rest.
Lees much better than last week.
Watkins has made a huge difference, Pearce-Paul has been much better than last week, apart from one knock-on Knowles has been class.

Smithies loads of energy off the bench, Walmsley good metres too.

Testament to the performance is that until his 40-20 on about 35 mins, I forgot Cleary was on the pitch.

 

[.db.]

Still another half to go though. As we’ve seen over the years, the Aussies play and play until the final hooter.

 

[MillionMilesAway]

Lots of careless stuff so far