Sticking it to the mother country: England can beat Australia at rugby and football ... but what about every other sport?

Given England’s recent 3-1 semi-final victory over Australia at the Women’s World Cup, along with many recent rugby union defeats of Australia by England since 2016, just how do these great sporting rivals stack up against each other across all sport?

With so many sports that Aussies and English play and watch, how best to assess this question, which is made more difficult by England playing as part of Great Britain (GB) in so many sports (along with Scottish, Welsh and Northern Irish) as they try to qualify for the Olympics?

The ‘Greatest sporting nation’ website has Australia ahead of GB in 2023 in gross and per capita terms as a top ten nation, although GB finished ahead of Australia in 2022 in aggregate terms and may again do so by the end of the year.

Obviously some sports are indeed harder to excel at than others, notably football and running where many countries compete (rich and poor), while both Australia and GB continue to do well in international sporting events which require vast financial resources such as cycling, swimming and rowing.

But let’s looks beyond the major sports to compare the Australian and English sporting performance in many sports, based on the most recent major championships and events.

May the games begin…

OG = Olympic Games, WC = World Championships

Alpine skiing

Not much world success here for Australia or England. In the mens, GB’s Dave Ryding finished 13th in the slalom at the 2022 OG while Australia’s Louis Muhlen-Schulte came 23rd in the giant slalom. Australia’s Greta Small placed highest with 13th in the combined event.

Archery

Both Australia and GB did not medal at the 2021 OG, but the British finished ahead in both male and female events.

Athletics

While Australia won more gold medals (2 to 1) than GB at the 2022 World Championships, GB won the most medals (7 to 3). Only English runners won medals in the mens and womens races and I expect this to continue at the current 2023 WC.

Badminton

While GB has a better OG record than Australia over the many years (3 medals to 0), neither have a top 20 world player as of 15 August 2023. At the 2022 Commonwealth Games, England won 3 minor medals, Australia nil, so points to England (men and women).

Baseball

With GB ranked 20th and Australia 9th, the Aussies made the quarters finals of the 2023 World Baseball Classic.

Basketball

While GB hardly figures in international terms, Australia won bronze at the 2021 OG mens event, and bronze at the 2022 womens World Cup.

Bobsleigh

Even here. At the 2022 OG, best place in bobsleigh events for Australia and GB was 5th and 6th.

Boxing

The English have had quite a few world champions since 2020, including heavyweight Tyson Fury and Cruiserweights Lawrence Okolie and Chris Billam-Smith along with flyweight Sunny Edwards. In female boxing, both Aussies and English have many top ten world ranked fighters.

Tyson Fury (Photo by Alex Livesey/Getty Images)

Canoeing (racing and slalom)

At the 2021 OG Australia won two gold and a bronze while GB won a silver and bronze.
Close call, but Australia (both men and women) gets the points of the basis of gold medals (1 male and 1 female), although GB individual sprinters placed higher in some races.

Curling

GB here, no further comment.

Cross Country skiing

Neither Australia or GB are competitive in global terms.

Going on placings at the 2022 Winter OG, the GB men did better with Andrew Musgrave (17th in the 30km event), while Australia placed higher in a number of female events led by Jessica Yeaton.

Cycling (Track)

At the 2023 WC, GB dominated Australia (9 medals to 7), including 5 gold to Australia’s zero.

Cycling (Road)

On the road, based on the 2023 Tour of France and the latest UCI rankings, England has the Yates brothers finishing ahead of Australia’s Jai Hindley with all three top ten. At the 2023 WC, GB also won a bronze for the mens time trial.
Australia gets the points for the females with Australia’s Grace Brown winning silver for the 2023 WC time trial and currently leading the Brits in the world rankings.

Cycling (other)

GB also did much better than Australia in both the mens and women races for mountain bikes at the 2023 WC winning several medals to Australia’s nil. At the last two world championships GB also won 1 gold (womens) and 1 silver (mens) at the BMX races.

Cricket

The biggest summer sport of both countries.

While the Ashes between Australia and England finished 2-all, Australia gets the verdict in the mens game.
Australia just won the World Test championship, beating India in the final and currently lead the ODI rankings, while England is ahead in the T20 rankings after also winning the 2023 World Cup in Melbourne earlier in the year. In female cricket Australia is ranked number one, including T20 and ODI, with England second.

(Photo by Ryan Pierse/Getty Images)

Darts

Yes this is serious sport with 500,000 British pounds awarded to the 2022 world champion (England’s Michael Smith). No contest here, as 4 of the top 8 places were English.

Diving

At the 2023 WC, both Australia and GB won medals, but only Australia won an individual gold to prevent a Chinese sweep of gold medals. Even here.

Figure skating

Based on 2022 OG, not much difference between them.

Football

The most important sport to England (and the world), and the largest team sport in Australia in terms of participation. Hopefully we can beat England at Wembley later in the year when our men play there, but for now England takes the points in both the men and women given their higher world rankings and recent World Cup performances.

Freestyle skiing

Men even, yet Australia’s women won a gold medal at the 2022 OG in the moguls (Jakara Anthony).
Equestrian events. Based on 2021 OG results, GB gets the verdict here for men and women, despite both sexes competing in the same events. GB won more medals (5 to 2) and golds (2 to 0).

Golf

England and Australia have a number of players in the top 100 for both men and women. Since 2020, England and Australia have won 1 major each through Cameron Smith and Matt Fitzpatrick, both ranked 9th and 10th 2022, but England has more depth with greater numbers in the top 15. Of the females, Australia gets the nod with the 2022 Rolex World rankings placing Australia’s Minjee Lee 4th, England’s Charley Hull 17th, and Australia’s Hannah Green 19th.

Minjee Lee (Photo by David Cannon/Getty Images)

Gymnastics

At the 2022 WC, GB won 6 medals (2 golds) and Australia zero. Easy points here for England’s men and women in this big OG sport.

Hockey (Field)

With both Australia and GB currently rank in the top 6 for men and women, hard to separate them. Australia’s men and women finished ahead of GB in recent World Cups when 4th at the 2023 World Cup and 3rd in 2022, but GB did better at the 2021 OG winning bronzes for both genders.

Ice hockey

Not a big sport in either country. GB ranks higher in the men (20 to 35) and Australia higher in the womens.

Judo

Both struggle at the global level. However at the 2022 Commonwealth Games, England dominated Australia in the males, whereas competition between them was even in the female weight classes.

Karate

In the 2021 OG, Australia had 1 competitor and GB zero. In the current world rankings, Australia’s females have higher ranked competitors in the different weight classes, but the men are more even.

Lawn bowls

Going on the most recent WC in 2016, Australia finished ahead of England in the male and female events but England won more medals at the 2022 Commonwealth Games. Tie here.

Luge

At the 2022 OG, Australia’s male competitor finished higher (16th to 23rd).

Motor car racing

Too many related sports to mention, but England has done better at Formula One in recent years, with Lewis Hamilton winning the 2020 WC.

Moto GP

Australia’s Jack Miller was 5th in 2022 and is doing well in 2023, so rate that form ahead of the GB riders doing better than Australia currently on the Superbikes.

Netball

Australia defeated England in the 2023 WC final.

Rowing

Again both Australia and GB do well, but it is GB that did much better than Australia at the 2022 WC winning more medals including 3 gold medals to nil in the able-bodied events.

Rugby League

Australia continues to have England’s measure again winning the most recent World Cups, both men and women.

(Photo by David Davies/PA Images via Getty Images)

Rugby Sevens

Based on the 2022-23 season, Australia gets the points here with their men finishing ahead of GB (5th to 9th) and the women (2nd to 7th).

Rugby Union

England is currently ranked ahead of Australia in both the mens and women’s games, and has finished ahead of Australia in the most recent World Cups.

Shooting

With only GB winning a bronze medal at the 2021 OG, the latest 2023 world rankings give GB a very slight lead (men and women) in terms of top 10 rankings for the different weapons, so will score it even.

Skateboarding

A relatively new OG sport, Australia did better at 2021 OG in the male events (1 gold) with GB more successful in the female events (1 bronze).

Skeleton

Based on 2022 OG, GB placed higher in the mens competition and Australia won silver win the women’s event.

Snooker

While Australia has Neil Roberston, currently ranked 7th in the world in terms of earnings, England has five of the top ten players. Since Roberston won the WC in 2010, England has won 10 WC and 3 of the last 4.

Snowboarding

Australia wins both men and women, including 2022 OG silver and bronze medals for the men and women.

Softball

Australia gets the verdict here as a regular top 4 nation, finishing 4th at the 2022 WC.

Speed skating (long and short course)

Neither Australia or GB had success at the 2022 OG, but it was only GB which had significant representation in terms of participants.

Speedway

2023 rankings have Australian riders ranked higher in top 10 with Doyle and Holder ahead of England’s Bewley, Lambert and Woffinden, but the 2022 WC saw England finish 5th and 6th with Lambert and Bewley placing higher than the Aussies. Even here.

Squash

Whereas Australia once has some of the greatest squash players a few decades ago, no Australian is currently ranked in the top 50 for the men or women while England has many, including three top 10 players (2 male and 1 female).

Surfing

Australia continues to do well in global terms with 3 in the top ten for both men and women during the current 2023 season.

Swimming (pool and ocean)

No contest. At the 2023 WC, Australia did much better than GB in terms of medals won, finishing second to the US.

Table tennis

Australia has Nicholas Lum, currently ranked 35th in the world. England has no player in the top 100
Australia also has two women ranked in top 40. Points to Australia.

Taekwondo

Australia has two top 25 male rankings through Bailey Lewis (58kg) and Leon Sejranovic (80kg), but GB has the number 1 ranked Bradly Sinden (68kg) and number 6 Caden Cunningham (80kg+). In the females, GB also has the 3rd ranked Jade Jones (57kg) and Bianca Cook 3rd (67+kg). At the 2021 OG, both the GB men and women medalled.

Tennis

I give points to Australia (both men and women). While GB’s Cameron Norrie was ranked 14th in 2022, ahead of Nick Kyrgios 22nd and Australia Alex De Minaur 24th, only Kyrigos has been a grand slam threat with runner up at Wimbledon (2022). In the womens, Australia’s Ash Barty (now retired) won Wimbledon (2021), the Australian Open (2022) and achieved the number 1 ranking.

Alex de Minaur. (Photo by Quinn Rooney/Getty Images)

Triathlon

Here England gets the points with much higher ranked athletes in both the mens and women 2022 world series, as well the mixed team efforts. Both Alex Yee and Georgia Taylor-Brown (England) won silver medals at the 2021 Tokyo OG.

Water Polo

Australia consistently makes the OG and WC draw in both men and women, and GB does not. Its women finished 5th at the 2021 OG and 4th at the 2023 WC, while its men finished 9th and 10th.

Weightlifting

At the 2022 WC, both Australia or GB won a silver for the total weight lifted in the womens (87Kg and 87kg+).
In overall points terms at the 2022 WC, GB finished 23rd and Australia 29th. At the 2022 Commonwealth Games, England won 5 medals (3 gold) and Australia 4 (1 gold), so slight lead to England (men and women).

Wrestling

Neither Australia or GB figure at the global level. At the 2022 WC, Australia had two competitors and GB none. Neither nation had a wrestler at the 2021 OG. But at the 2022 Commonwealth Games, England won 3 medals, and Australia 2, so even stevens here.

UFC

Here I give the points to Australia’s men and women with more top 15 fighters in the different weight divisions, with Australia’s Alexander Volkanovski ranked number 1 of all divisions in the men with England’s Leon Edwards 4th.

Volleyball (Indoor and beach)

Neither Australia or GB qualified for the 2021 OG indoor competition, hardly surprising given neither have ever been a world power, but Australia did better at beach volleyball winning silver in the women’s event.

Yachting

Both Australia and GB are successful yachting nations. At the 2021 OG, GB won more medals (5 to 2) and golds (3 to 2).

Conclusion

There are a lot of sports in which Australia and England do well in global terms. There are also a lot of sports where neither are much good at, although they still generate some interest from the English and Australians as participants and spectators.

In terms of the many sports mentioned in this article, England comes out on top in the men comfortably, whereas Australia’s women succeed in more sports than their English rivals.

But given England’s vastly larger population (57 million to Australia’s 25 million), and GB’s representation aided by Scottish, Welsh and Northern Irish participation in many sports, let’s call it even.