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Hand up if you remember the most recent third match of an Australia versus Great Britain rugby league Test series.
Top of the class if you were in attendance, most likely a Pom, head held high pounding out God Save the Queen among a capacity crowd. All in the shadows of the George Hotel, Huddersfield, the birthplace of rugby league and until a magic sponge arrives, a potential Ashes deathbed.
The year was 2003 and for the record the Kangaroos ran in two late tries to pinch an unlikely 18-12 victory, completing a 3-0 clean sweep in a heartbreaking series for the hosts who suffered similar soul destroying blows in the opening two Tests.
Yet despite packed venues and fiercely contested matches, the century old Ashes tradition remains on ice, in hindsight, for reasons analogous to the money stealing scandal that tore through the tourists’ 2003 Leeds headquarters.
For the NRL’s greedy cash grab via domestic overload has burned out its best talent, denying a generation of players their Ashes tour dream and forcing top flight international rugby league down a path of fast-food formats compromising its European market and founding traditions.
Former Queensland and Australian legend Gordan Tallis said at the completion of his trophy laden career, “Kangaroo tours were the biggest thing a player could do in our game. Playing for Australia was the highest individual honour I achieved”.
And from the opposite side, the intensity and magnitude of an Ashes battle was epitomised by shattered British forward Barrie McDermott who described Australia’s Huddersfield Houdini-act as, “the worst day of my life”.
While not a sole contributor to Britain’s home front woes, it is important to note Australia’s contribution through a prolonged absence in fostering the values and prestige developed since the first Kangaroo tour in 1908.
Australia last played Great Britain in 2006, since then there have been eight contests with England compared to 20 against New Zealand during the same period. In addition, the charisma of Wembley has only once played host to British-Australian hostilities since 2000.
With limited support from the English media and Australia’s reluctance to revive the Ashes concept, England-hosted competitions remain unsettled through escalating debt, doubt over the finals concept and concerns the Old Trafford grand final is tarnishing the revered 117-year-old Challenge Cup.
So with rumours of an Ashes tour on the horizon, the significance of Australia’s role in reviving historic legacies and promoting the game’s global growth is best described by a Roar colleague who offered the following advice:
“Don’t underestimate what the Aussies can do to swell the self-confidence of English rugby league fans. A visit from the Kangaroos for an Ashes series or the return of a Lions tour changes all of that in an instant. The Kangaroos jumper is iconic and glamourous. It’s such a pity that it spends so much time in the cupboard.”
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