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Australian coach Mal Meninga has declared that the Kangaroos will use the first Ashes series in England for more than two decades to make a statement ahead of the IRL World Cup 2026.
The Kangaroos will travel to England at the end of the season to play Tests at London’s iconic Wembley Stadium on October 25, the newly built Everton Stadium on November 1 and historic Headingley Stadium in Leeds on November 8.
It will be the first time Australia has faced England since the 2017 World Cup final at Suncorp Stadium and the first Ashes series since 2003.
“The Ashes series between Australia and England is what our international game has been built on. I think it is the ultimate,” said Meninga, who played for Australia on a record four Kangaroo tours in 1982, 1986, 1990 and 1994.
“We love the history, which goes back to [the first Kangaroo Tour in] 1908 and 1909, but we haven’t had a chance to play England since 2017 and from an Ashes point of view we haven’t played since 2003.
“To be able to play at Wembley, at the new stadium in Everton - where no other team has been before- and then going back to the tradition of Headingley, that is exciting.”
After overseeing a changing of the guard in last year’s Pacific Championships squad following Australia’s record 30-0 loss to New Zealand in the 2023 Pacific Cup final, Meninga said he planned to stick largely with the group of players who regained the trophy under new captain Isaah Yeo.
With the Kangaroos having last played at Wembley in the 2013 World Cup semi-final against Fiji, it is unlikely any Australian player will have experienced the atmosphere of playing at the famous London venue unless Meninga recalls Daly Cherry-Evans.
“I like to be loyal, but a lot of things can happen in the coming months, and with the announcement that we are going to have an Ashes tour at the end of the year I think it will make everyone more excited about staying fit, playing really well and being available to be selected,” Meninga said.
“I know that even last year when we were in camp for the Pacific Championships, one of the aims of the team was going back on a tour and a lot of the players who were involved in the World Cup really enjoyed the atmosphere that the crowds in England bought and the stadiums over there.
“We also want to make a statement leading into the World Cup in 2026, so it is an important part of the journey for us.”
Australia hung on to beat England 6-0 in a gripping World Cup final in Brisbane in 2017 and a revival of The Ashes was scheduled for the end of the 2020 season until COVID forced it to be cancelled.
The two nations appeared destined to meet again in the World Cup decider at Old Trafford in 2022, but Samoa stunned England with a 27-26 golden point win in their semi-final clash in London.
Since then, England have hosted Tonga and Samoa in end-of-season tours in 2023 and 2024, winning all five Tests against the Pacific powerhouses.
The Kangaroos won last year’s Pacific Cup, beating Tonga 20-14 in the final at CommBank Stadium, after losing the 2023 decider to the Kiwis 30-0 in Auckland.
“I thought that game in 2017 was one of the best games I have ever been involved with as a player or a coach, given the quality and the closeness of the game,” Meninga said.
“The execution and commitment by both teams was extraordinary. We had to work really hard and if we didn’t prepare really well for that game England would have won.
“They have got their reasons too; maybe they should have won but it is one of the best games I have been involved with as a player and a coach given the quality and the closeness of the game.
“They were obviously stunned by what happened against Samoa, and I think the rugby league world was stunned by that, so they had a bit of a point to prove, which they have done the last couple of years.
“We got beaten by New Zealand fairly comprehensively in 2023 off the back of the World Cup victory so both teams will want to win the Ashes, and from what I’ve seen of the England team in recent times against Tonga and Samoa, they are a very formidable rugby league team.
“We have had a bit of success in the Pacific Championships so we are looking forward to using this Ashes tour as a lead into the World Cup.
“We want to play our best footy when we put that Kangaroos jersey on, so it is going to be enormous.”
www.nrl.com
The Kangaroos will travel to England at the end of the season to play Tests at London’s iconic Wembley Stadium on October 25, the newly built Everton Stadium on November 1 and historic Headingley Stadium in Leeds on November 8.
It will be the first time Australia has faced England since the 2017 World Cup final at Suncorp Stadium and the first Ashes series since 2003.
“The Ashes series between Australia and England is what our international game has been built on. I think it is the ultimate,” said Meninga, who played for Australia on a record four Kangaroo tours in 1982, 1986, 1990 and 1994.
“We love the history, which goes back to [the first Kangaroo Tour in] 1908 and 1909, but we haven’t had a chance to play England since 2017 and from an Ashes point of view we haven’t played since 2003.
“To be able to play at Wembley, at the new stadium in Everton - where no other team has been before- and then going back to the tradition of Headingley, that is exciting.”
After overseeing a changing of the guard in last year’s Pacific Championships squad following Australia’s record 30-0 loss to New Zealand in the 2023 Pacific Cup final, Meninga said he planned to stick largely with the group of players who regained the trophy under new captain Isaah Yeo.
With the Kangaroos having last played at Wembley in the 2013 World Cup semi-final against Fiji, it is unlikely any Australian player will have experienced the atmosphere of playing at the famous London venue unless Meninga recalls Daly Cherry-Evans.
“I like to be loyal, but a lot of things can happen in the coming months, and with the announcement that we are going to have an Ashes tour at the end of the year I think it will make everyone more excited about staying fit, playing really well and being available to be selected,” Meninga said.
“I know that even last year when we were in camp for the Pacific Championships, one of the aims of the team was going back on a tour and a lot of the players who were involved in the World Cup really enjoyed the atmosphere that the crowds in England bought and the stadiums over there.
“We also want to make a statement leading into the World Cup in 2026, so it is an important part of the journey for us.”
Australia hung on to beat England 6-0 in a gripping World Cup final in Brisbane in 2017 and a revival of The Ashes was scheduled for the end of the 2020 season until COVID forced it to be cancelled.
The two nations appeared destined to meet again in the World Cup decider at Old Trafford in 2022, but Samoa stunned England with a 27-26 golden point win in their semi-final clash in London.
Since then, England have hosted Tonga and Samoa in end-of-season tours in 2023 and 2024, winning all five Tests against the Pacific powerhouses.
The Kangaroos won last year’s Pacific Cup, beating Tonga 20-14 in the final at CommBank Stadium, after losing the 2023 decider to the Kiwis 30-0 in Auckland.
“I thought that game in 2017 was one of the best games I have ever been involved with as a player or a coach, given the quality and the closeness of the game,” Meninga said.
“The execution and commitment by both teams was extraordinary. We had to work really hard and if we didn’t prepare really well for that game England would have won.
“They have got their reasons too; maybe they should have won but it is one of the best games I have been involved with as a player and a coach given the quality and the closeness of the game.
“They were obviously stunned by what happened against Samoa, and I think the rugby league world was stunned by that, so they had a bit of a point to prove, which they have done the last couple of years.
“We got beaten by New Zealand fairly comprehensively in 2023 off the back of the World Cup victory so both teams will want to win the Ashes, and from what I’ve seen of the England team in recent times against Tonga and Samoa, they are a very formidable rugby league team.
“We have had a bit of success in the Pacific Championships so we are looking forward to using this Ashes tour as a lead into the World Cup.
“We want to play our best footy when we put that Kangaroos jersey on, so it is going to be enormous.”
'What our game is built on': Mal hails Ashes tour revival
Australian coach Mal Meninga has declared that the Kangaroos will use the first Rugby League Ashes Series in England for more than two decades to make a statement ahead of the IRL World Cup 2026.
www.nrl.com
