Rugby League Ashes
Encyclopedia
The Ashes is the name given to the trophy awarded to the winner of a best-of-three series of rugby league football test series
between Great Britain
and Australia. The title comes from that of The Ashes
competition between England and Australia in cricket
, which has a similar format.
On 27 September 1908, the first touring Australian rugby league side arrived in England, and played their first ever Test against the Great Britain side in December in London. Two further Tests were played. The Australians suggested that the series should be called "The Ashes" and the name stuck.
The format used is that three matches are played, with the winning team being decided on the basis of most matches won. If one team has already won two matches the series is already won, however the final game is usually still played. In the 1929/30 Ashes series both the teams won one game and one game was tied; it was therefore decided to hold a further match to determine the outcome.
The British side has not always been termed Great Britain; in the past the titles "Northern Union
XIII", "England" and "The Lions" have also been used. Similarly, the Australian sides had sometimes included New Zealand players so were styled "Australasia".
Since 1964 the Harry Sunderland Medal is awarded to the best Australian player in a home Ashes series. Since 1970, the series has been very one sided, Australia having won 13 consecutive ashes.
The Ashes had not been contested since 2003 when, in 2009 with the prospect of not contesting them until after the 2013 World Cup, Britain's Rugby Football League
(RFL) challenged the Australian Rugby League
(ARL) to play the round-robin stage match of the Four Nations
tournament with the Ashes at stake. The one-off game would be a departure from the usual three-match series, additionally the contest would be between England, rather than Great Britain, and Australia. The ARL initially agreed to the proposal but later, facing hostility from former Ashes players and fans who thought the proposals devalued the Ashes, the two governing bodies decided not to proceed.
It is hoped amongst British Rugby League fans that Great Britain and Australia will contest the Ashes in Australia in 2012, but the Australian Rugby League are concerned about 'player burnout' with the 2013 World Cup being played for a year later.
in Sydney, Australia donated a trophy to be the prize, the "Ashes Cup".
The Cup's inscription reads:
INTERNATIONAL
RUGBY LEAGUE FOOTBALL
Australia v England
(THE ASHES)
Presented by
CITY TATTERSALLS CLUB
The Cup was first presented in 1928 to The Lions, after they defeated Australia 2–1 in the series. Following the 1933/4 series, in which England retained the Cup for the third time since first being presented with it, the Cup disappeared in the United Kingdom. The Cup was found in October 1945. During the period it was missing, the Lions had won each series and the Cup's disappearance was not widely known. The Australian team first won the Cup in 1950.
In preparation for the Legends of League exhibition at the National Museum of Australia
in 2008, marking a Centenary of Rugby League in Australia, the Ashes Cup underwent preservation work.
Test match (rugby league)
A Test match in rugby league football is a representative match between teams representing members of the Rugby League International Federation.The definition of a Test match differs from that of an international match...
between Great Britain
Great Britain national rugby league team
The Great Britain national rugby league team represents the United Kingdom in rugby league football. Administered by the Rugby Football League , the team is nicknamed "The Lions" or "Great Britain Lions"....
and Australia. The title comes from that of The Ashes
The Ashes
The Ashes is a Test cricket series played between England and Australia. It is one of the most celebrated rivalries in international cricket and dates back to 1882. It is currently played biennially, alternately in the United Kingdom and Australia. Cricket being a summer sport, and the venues...
competition between England and Australia in cricket
Cricket
Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of 11 players on an oval-shaped field, at the centre of which is a rectangular 22-yard long pitch. One team bats, trying to score as many runs as possible while the other team bowls and fields, trying to dismiss the batsmen and thus limit the...
, which has a similar format.
History
Several sports and events adopted cricket's Ashes "concept" and by the beginning of the twentieth century it was an "accepted principle" that a series had to have at least three matches to be a true test of which side was the best.On 27 September 1908, the first touring Australian rugby league side arrived in England, and played their first ever Test against the Great Britain side in December in London. Two further Tests were played. The Australians suggested that the series should be called "The Ashes" and the name stuck.
The format used is that three matches are played, with the winning team being decided on the basis of most matches won. If one team has already won two matches the series is already won, however the final game is usually still played. In the 1929/30 Ashes series both the teams won one game and one game was tied; it was therefore decided to hold a further match to determine the outcome.
The British side has not always been termed Great Britain; in the past the titles "Northern Union
Rugby Football League
The Rugby Football League is the governing body for professional rugby league football in England. Based at Red Hall in Leeds, it administers the England national rugby league team, the Challenge Cup, Super League and the Rugby League Championships...
XIII", "England" and "The Lions" have also been used. Similarly, the Australian sides had sometimes included New Zealand players so were styled "Australasia".
Since 1964 the Harry Sunderland Medal is awarded to the best Australian player in a home Ashes series. Since 1970, the series has been very one sided, Australia having won 13 consecutive ashes.
The Ashes had not been contested since 2003 when, in 2009 with the prospect of not contesting them until after the 2013 World Cup, Britain's Rugby Football League
Rugby Football League
The Rugby Football League is the governing body for professional rugby league football in England. Based at Red Hall in Leeds, it administers the England national rugby league team, the Challenge Cup, Super League and the Rugby League Championships...
(RFL) challenged the Australian Rugby League
Australian Rugby League
The Australian Rugby League is the governing body for the sport of rugby league in Australia. It is made up of state bodies, including the New South Wales Rugby League and the Queensland Rugby League...
(ARL) to play the round-robin stage match of the Four Nations
Rugby League Four Nations
The Rugby League Four Nations is an annual rugby league football tournament run in partnership between the Australian Rugby League, Rugby Football League and New Zealand Rugby League representing the top three nations in the sport: Australia, England and New Zealand. A fourth partner, France,...
tournament with the Ashes at stake. The one-off game would be a departure from the usual three-match series, additionally the contest would be between England, rather than Great Britain, and Australia. The ARL initially agreed to the proposal but later, facing hostility from former Ashes players and fans who thought the proposals devalued the Ashes, the two governing bodies decided not to proceed.
It is hoped amongst British Rugby League fans that Great Britain and Australia will contest the Ashes in Australia in 2012, but the Australian Rugby League are concerned about 'player burnout' with the 2013 World Cup being played for a year later.
Trophy
In 1928, the City Tattersalls ClubCity Tattersalls Club
The City Tattersalls Club is a social club located in Sydney New South Wales Australia Formed in 1895, by a group of bookmakers disgruntled with a Judge’s decision on a race at Kensington, New South Wales...
in Sydney, Australia donated a trophy to be the prize, the "Ashes Cup".
The Cup's inscription reads:
INTERNATIONAL
RUGBY LEAGUE FOOTBALL
Australia v England
(THE ASHES)
Presented by
CITY TATTERSALLS CLUB
The Cup was first presented in 1928 to The Lions, after they defeated Australia 2–1 in the series. Following the 1933/4 series, in which England retained the Cup for the third time since first being presented with it, the Cup disappeared in the United Kingdom. The Cup was found in October 1945. During the period it was missing, the Lions had won each series and the Cup's disappearance was not widely known. The Australian team first won the Cup in 1950.
In preparation for the Legends of League exhibition at the National Museum of Australia
National Museum of Australia
The National Museum of Australia was formally established by the National Museum of Australia Act 1980. The National Museum preserves and interprets Australia's social history, exploring the key issues, people and events that have shaped the nation....
in 2008, marking a Centenary of Rugby League in Australia, the Ashes Cup underwent preservation work.
Results
| Year | Home Team | Result | Away Team |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1908/9 | Northern Union (GB) | 2-0 | Australia |
| 1910 | Australia | 0-2 | Northern Union (GB) |
| 1911 | Great Britain | 0-2 | Australia |
| 1914 | Australia | 1-2 | Northern Union (GB) |
| 1920 | Australia | 2-1 | Northern Union (GB) |
| 1921-22 | Great Britain | 3-1 | Australia |
| 1924 | Australia | 1-2 | The Lions |
| 1928 | Australia | 1-2 | The Lions |
| 1929/30 | The Lions (GB) | 2-1(1 Tied) | Australia |
| 1932 | Australia | 1-2 | The Lions (GB) |
| 1933 | The Lions (GB) | 3-0 | Australia |
| 1936 | Australia | 1-2 | The Lions (GB) |
| 1937 | The Lions (GB) | 2-1 | Australia |
| 1946 | Australia | 0-2 | The Lions (GB) |
| 1948 | Great Britain | 3-0 | Australia |
| 1950 | Australia | 2-1 | Great Britain |
| 1952 | Great Britain | 2-1 | Australia |
| 1954 | Australia | 2-1 | Great Britain |
| 1956 | Great Britain | 2-1 | Australia |
| 1958 | Australia | 1-2 | Great Britain |
| 1959 | Great Britain | 2-1 | Australia |
| 1962 | Australia | 1-2 | Great Britain |
| 1963 | Great Britain | 1-2 | Australia |
| 1966 | Australia | 2-1 | Great Britain |
| 1967 | Great Britain | 1-2 | Australia |
| 1970 | Australia | 1-2 | Great Britain |
| 1973 | Great Britain | 1-2 | Australia |
| 1974 | Australia | 2-1 | Great Britain |
| 1978 | Great Britain | 1-2 | Australia |
| 1979 | Australia | 3-0 | Great Britain |
| 1982 1982 Kangaroo Tour of Great Britain and France The 1982 Kangaroo Tour was the fifteenth Kangaroo Tour where the Australian national rugby league team plays a number of matches against British and French rugby league teams, in additions to the Test matches... |
Great Britain | 0-3 | Australia |
| 1984 | Australia | 3-0 | Great Britain |
| 1986 1986 Kangaroo Tour of Great Britain and France The 1986 Kangaroo tour was the sixteenth Kangaroo Tour where the Australian side plays a number of matches against British and French rugby league teams, in additions to the Test matches... |
Great Britain | 0-3 | Australia |
| 1988 | Australia | 2-1 | Great Britain |
| 1990 | Great Britain | 1-2 | Australia |
| 1992 | Australia | 2-1 | Great Britain |
| 1994 | Great Britain | 1-2 | Australia |
| 2001 | Great Britain | 1-2 | Australia |
| 2003 | Great Britain | 0-3 | Australia |
Summary of Ashes series
| Played | Won by Australia |
Won by Great Britain |
Drawn |
All series | 39 | 20 (51.3%) | 19 (48.7%) | 0 (0.0%) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Series in Australia | 19 | 9 (47.4%) | 10 (52.6%) | 0 (0.0%) | |||||
| Series in Great Britain | 20 | 11 (55.0%) | 9 (45.0%) | 0 (0.0%) |
All Tests | 119 | 59 (49.6%) | 55 (46.2%) | 5 (4.2%) |
| Tests in Australia | 57 | 28 (49.1%) | 27 (47.4%) | 2 (3.5%) | |||||
| Tests in Great Britain | 62 | 31 (50%) | 28 (45.2%) | 3 (4.8%) | |||||
| Figures up to and including the 3rd Test of the 2003 series | |||||||||
See also
- Australia national rugby league team
- Great Britain national rugby league teamGreat Britain national rugby league teamThe Great Britain national rugby league team represents the United Kingdom in rugby league football. Administered by the Rugby Football League , the team is nicknamed "The Lions" or "Great Britain Lions"....