2025 Ashes Tour

[titoelcolombiano]

I've been thinking we should have a 5 Nations:
England,Tonga,Somoa,NZ and Australia.

We need to have France as the 6th Nation when played in the Northern Hemesphere and PNG when played in the southern Hemesphere.

Sure, they won't compete straight away but they are two nations other than the big 3 that will have professional clubs and therefore a professional playing pool. We to develop that as a game.

 

[Taking The Two]

We’re at the point where the Pacific Championship is a high enough level of competition that it’s a mainstay in the calendar. England need to find a way, somehow, to either get an invite to go down there and play in it or push for the reintroduction of the Tri/Four Nations in the NH.

 

[undertaker]

Hypnotize by The Notorious BIG in case you were wondering

Ah cool. Thanks for letting me know that!

 

[undertaker]

As a TV viewer I was a bit underwhelmed by the ground. The line markings situation was bad. Plus the Fox crew were saying it was only 94m try line to try line - shorter that Alligient. Whats going on there? Though the crowd involvement and transmission of their noise through the telecast was a good win.

The shortening of dimensions in England is nothing new. The 2016 Four Nations final at Anfield was only 91 metres from tryline to tryline due to safety reasons:

Four Nations 2016: Anfield to have pitch shortened for final over safety fears

Sunday's Four Nations final between Australia and New Zealand at Anfield will be played on a shortened pitch for safety reasons.

www.bbc.com

I can't remember, but I'm pretty sure there was also another venue in England that held a RL test match and came under scrutiny for short dimensions.

 

[Growthegame]

Rugby League would be struggled to be played around the world if every game had to be 100m long try line to try line.

 

[Ride the Lion to Zion]

So your answer is for refs to just let knock ons and fwd passes go? I dont think that will fly

No, the question is how to manage doubt. Should a breach be called only when the ref is certain a breach occurred or merely because he cannot be certain a breach didn't occur? The former method is clearly more logical and in the best interests of the game. Same principle as "innocent until proven guilty" in the courts.

In the aforementioned incident, there is no way the on-field ref could have been certain Dom Young lost the ball into a defender. It wouldn't even cross the mind of a Union ref to regard that as a knock-on. Likewise any League ref 20+ years ago. Uncertainty ought to mean "Play On". We need to climb out of this OCD rabbit hole if we want more entertainment.

 

[Perth Red]

Cant believe Im saying it but Wane needs to go and if it means a loss in third game to make that happen so be it. Worse case scenario for England is we sneak a win in game three and it keeps Wane in the job for next years RLWC!

 

[i0Nic]

Wane needs to go purely based on the first 2 games performances regardless of whatever happens in game 3. I think surely that much is clear. Bring in an Australian coaching team, if not the head coach at least the supporting team.

in terms of international calendar I’d like to keep the pacific champs going but not every year.

2026 - World Cup

2027 - Pac Champs (Aus, Tonga, Samoa, NZ, PNG, Fiji, Cook islands ), Euro Champs (Eng, France, Wales, plus invitational team such as South Africa), and smaller comps and internationals between tier 3 nations (Greece, ukraine, US etc)

2028 - Ashes tour (Eng vs Aus plus warm up tests against other nations and clubs to make it a 5-6 game tour)

2029 - 5 nations with hosting duties rotated between pacific and Europe: Aus, Nz, Eng, Samoa, Tonga. Expand to 6 teams when France are good enough, in the mean time PNG tour of France or France tour of pacific including Noumea, smaller comps and tests between tier 3 nations

2030 - World Cup 12–14 teams

 

[Tigers1986]

England can sod off and have their own comp. Pacific 6 nations - Australia, NZ, Samoa, Tonga, PNG and Fiji. Would grow the tier 2 nations exponentially and England can actually put effort in themselves and try and bring similar elements to Europe.

 

[titoelcolombiano]

Wane needs to go purely based on the first 2 games performances regardless of whatever happens in game 3. I think surely that much is clear. Bring in an Australian coaching team, if not the head coach at least the supporting team.

in terms of international calendar I’d like to keep the pacific champs going but not every year.

2026 - World Cup

2027 - Pac Champs (Aus, Tonga, Samoa, NZ, PNG, Fiji, Cook islands ), Euro Champs (Eng, France, Wales, plus invitational team such as South Africa), and smaller comps and internationals between tier 3 nations (Greece, ukraine, US etc)

2028 - Ashes tour (Eng vs Aus plus warm up tests against other nations and clubs to make it a 5-6 game tour)

2029 - 5 nations with hosting duties rotated between pacific and Europe: Aus, Nz, Eng, Samoa, Tonga. Expand to 6 teams when France are good enough, in the mean time PNG tour of France or France tour of pacific including Noumea, smaller comps and tests between tier 3 nations

2030 - World Cup 12–14 teams

Lebanon would be a competitive invitational side for your 2027 Euro Champs

 

[Gobsmacked]

Wane needs to go purely based on the first 2 games performances regardless of whatever happens in game 3. I think surely that much is clear. Bring in an Australian coaching team, if not the head coach at least the supporting team.

in terms of international calendar I’d like to keep the pacific champs going but not every year.

2026 - World Cup

2027 - Pac Champs (Aus, Tonga, Samoa, NZ, PNG, Fiji, Cook islands ), Euro Champs (Eng, France, Wales, plus invitational team such as South Africa), and smaller comps and internationals between tier 3 nations (Greece, ukraine, US etc)

2028 - Ashes tour (Eng vs Aus plus warm up tests against other nations and clubs to make it a 5-6 game tour)

2029 - 5 nations with hosting duties rotated between pacific and Europe: Aus, Nz, Eng, Samoa, Tonga. Expand to 6 teams when France are good enough, in the mean time PNG tour of France or France tour of pacific including Noumea, smaller comps and tests between tier 3 nations

2030 - World Cup 12–14 teams

I really think outside of our big 5 England,Samoa,Tonga, NZ and Australia.
There's 3 nations around the same level: France,PNG and Fiji
Those 3 need to be playing each other as much as possible in a tournament structure.

Scotland, Ireland and Wales need to be doing the same. I can't believe we aren't putting more effort into these 3 and cook Islands probably belongs in this group.

Outside of world cups , id keep these groups separate. The world cups are where they get a chance to prove their worth to move up.

 

[Taking The Two]

* 2 wins from the last 7 games against Australia and New Zealand as England and GB.

* Failed to post double figures on Australia since 2016 - four consecutive games now.

* 4, 6, 8, 8, 0 points scored in the past 5 games against Australia and New Zealand as England and GB.

* No England/GB wins against Australia in England since 1995.

* No wins against Australia since 2006.

* No wins against New Zealand in New Zealand since 1992.

Grim reading. Whilst the second test in this Ashes was an improvement on the first from and England POV, you can’t really hold on to “remember that time when we defended really well for 40 minutes against Australia?” as the takeaway from this series. England/GB have probably never been this far away from competing and beating Australia on a regular basis as they are right now.

International rugby league is a gold mine for UK RL, or at least, it should be. We’ve just had 111,918 watch two games of rugby league over two weekends in England, it took ten games of Super League in England in 2025 to eclipse that figure. We have a product, we have a brand and we have people who want to watch it, we have to build on the international game and do something to improve on the pitch to grow the interest in England, the crowds and the game as a whole. We get good crowds for England, we need to build on that. Even in World Cup’s, England have posted good crowds in the country. The 2013 World Cup saw 24k, 25k, 25k, 22k and ‘21 saw 43k, 23k, 19k, 23k and 40k. There’s an audience. They want to watch England.

We need a stronger England side. Beating Samoa, Tonga and France is all well and good but we need them competing against Australia and New Zealand regularly. We need to look at every aspect of what we’re doing in Super League, the pathways to that level and junior participation and coaching.

 

[Perth Red]

Wane needs to go purely based on the first 2 games performances regardless of whatever happens in game 3. I think surely that much is clear. Bring in an Australian coaching team, if not the head coach at least the supporting team.

in terms of international calendar I’d like to keep the pacific champs going but not every year.

2026 - World Cup

2027 - Pac Champs (Aus, Tonga, Samoa, NZ, PNG, Fiji, Cook islands ), Euro Champs (Eng, France, Wales, plus invitational team such as South Africa), and smaller comps and internationals between tier 3 nations (Greece, ukraine, US etc)

2028 - Ashes tour (Eng vs Aus plus warm up tests against other nations and clubs to make it a 5-6 game tour)

2029 - 5 nations with hosting duties rotated between pacific and Europe: Aus, Nz, Eng, Samoa, Tonga. Expand to 6 teams when France are good enough, in the mean time PNG tour of France or France tour of pacific including Noumea, smaller comps and tests between tier 3 nations

2030 - World Cup 12–14 teams

England putting 60 points on wales, France and 120 points on SA in front of 4k people is really going to help the International game lol

 

[Perth Red]

* 2 wins from the last 7 games against Australia and New Zealand as England and GB.

* Failed to post double figures on Australia since 2016 - four consecutive games now.

* 4, 6, 8, 8, 0 points scored in the past 5 games against Australia and New Zealand as England and GB.

* No England/GB wins against Australia in England since 1995.

* No wins against Australia since 2006.

* No wins against New Zealand in New Zealand since 1992.

Grim reading. Whilst the second test in this Ashes was an improvement on the first from and England POV, you can’t really hold on to “remember that time when we defended really well for 40 minutes against Australia?” as the takeaway from this series. England/GB have probably never been this far away from competing and beating Australia on a regular basis as they are right now.

International rugby league is a gold mine for UK RL, or at least, it should be. We’ve just had 111,918 watch two games of rugby league over two weekends in England, it took ten games of Super League in England in 2025 to eclipse that figure. We have a product, we have a brand and we have people who want to watch it, we have to build on the international game and do something to improve on the pitch to grow the interest in England, the crowds and the game as a whole. We get good crowds for England, we need to build on that. Even in World Cup’s, England have posted good crowds in the country. The 2013 World Cup saw 24k, 25k, 25k, 22k and ‘21 saw 43k, 23k, 19k, 23k and 40k. There’s an audience. They want to watch England.

We need a stronger England side. Beating Samoa, Tonga and France is all well and good but we need them competing against Australia and New Zealand regularly. We need to look at every aspect of what we’re doing in Super League, the pathways to that level and junior participation and coaching.

Most agree with but Id argue we've been much further apart than currently.

2000-2010 we lost 8 games in a row to Aus and NZ and copped some hammerings.
The 2019 GB tour we lost all games and got beat by Tonga and PNg for first time ever! Id say both those periods were lower points than this period where we have beaten strong tonga and samoa 5-0 and been semi competitive v Australia.

Eng 2 - 22 Aus
Eng 6 - 49 NZ
Eng 22 - 30 NZ
Eng 4 - 52 Aus
Eng 24 - 36 NZ
Eng 22 - 32 NZ
Eng 16 - 26 Aus
Eng 16- 46 Aus

I hope we get NZ touring in 2027 so we can see where we are currently against them.

 

[Taking The Two]

You’d argue in an empty room.

 

[Ride the Lion to Zion]

England can sod off and have their own comp.

Declaring "sod off" to a fixture capable of generating 61k and 52k crowds in successive weeks is a curious choice of cornerstone for an international RL growth strategy.

Pacific 6 nations - Australia, NZ, Samoa, Tonga, PNG and Fiji. Would grow the tier 2 nations exponentially and England can actually put effort in themselves and try and bring similar elements to Europe.

The strength of Samoa and Tonga is not the result of efforts by the NRL. Without Pasifika migration to Oz and NZ, these two nations would be no more competitive than France.

 

[Hellwege]

We need to have France as the 6th Nation when played in the Northern Hemesphere and PNG when played in the southern Hemesphere.

Sure, they won't compete straight away but they are two nations other than the big 3 that will have professional clubs and therefore a professional playing pool. We to develop that as a game.

like the 4N was three pre-determined nations AUS-NZ-GB plus a qualifier from SH or NH we need the same to do with a 6N and five pre-determined nations (AUS-NZ-ENG-Tonga-Samoa) and one qualifiert (the Northern one would always be France in the foreseeable future)

 

[MRN]

I hope we get NZ touring in 2027 so we can see where we are currently against them.

Isn't this already confirmed?

IRL Board update: World Cup bids & international calendar

www.intrl.sport

"England will host New Zealand in 2027 and will again play an Ashes series against Australia in 2028."

 

[Taking The Two]

Tottenham, Everton and Hull, for England v NZ. I think they’ll stick to Leeds though, England fare well attendance wise in Leeds and they may struggle to fill Tottenham and possibly Everton for the other two.

 

[Gobsmacked]

Tottenham, Everton and Hull, for England v NZ. I think they’ll stick to Leeds though, England fare well attendance wise in Leeds and they may struggle to fill Tottenham and possibly Everton for the other two.

If NZ get their best on the park for the WC and win it, it changes the pull they'll have in England and the same in the other way if they have a shocker..
Decisions on where they play probably needs to be made closer to the date so we have a better understanding of what crowds to expect.

But you're pretty on the money.