'Best ground in Super League': why Leeds Rhinos' Headingley has been chosen for Ashes Test
The RFL have explained why “best ground in Super League” AMT Headingley has been chosen to stage this year’s potentially decisive final Test between England and Australia.
The showdown on Saturday, November 8, will be the first Ashes match at Leeds Rhinos’ stadium since 1982. But, with a capacity of 19,500, the ground is much smaller than the venues for the opening two Tests, Wembley on October 25 and Everton FC’s new Bramley Moore Dock a week later.
Leeds United’s Elland Road can hold around twice as many fans and is well used as a rugby league venue, but England completed whitewashes against Tonga and Samoa at Headingley in 2023 and 2024 and the Test there is likely to sell out long before the series begins. Speaking at a media briefing this morning (Wednesday), Rugby League Commercial managing director Rhodri Jones said using Wembley - with a 90,000 capacity - and Everton, which will hold 50,000 fans, in London and the north west “gave us flexibility for Yorkshire and the north east”.
He explained: “Headingley is steeped in history, both from a rugby league perspective, but also cricket. There's a little bit of trying to help Shaun [Wane, England’s coach] as well, as Headingley has been successful over the last two series in terms of finishing off on a high. Leeds is well supported, it's the best ground in Super League - that’s why we're going to Headingley.”
Wane, who had a spell as a Leeds player in the early 1990s, stressed he is delighted Headingley will be hosting this season’s final match. “We played there in the second Test against Samoa and third Test against Tonga and I was there last Saturday with the Wigan team,” he said.
“The pitch is great, the atmosphere is fantastic and how they looked after my team for those second and third Tests was impeccable. The staff behind the scenes, the detail they go into is fantastic. I 100 per cent get it and I'm really happy the third Test is there.”
Jones described the opener at Wembley as “an iconic way to start the series, in London, in the capital”. He added: “We reached out to Everton, knowing their new stadium was going to be ready and they were warm and receptive right from the start.
“We have had a relationship with Everton for a number of years, we looked at the Magic Weekend a few years ago when we went to Liverpool and Liverpool as a city has been very keen to look at hosting rugby league internationals. Everton have been great to deal with, they are two test events in, we have been there twice and it is a spectacular stadium.”
England/Great Britain haven’t won the Ashes since 1970 and their most recent series success on home soil was in 1959. After outclassing Tonga and Samoa in the past two years, Wane admitted: “Having the chance to be head coach of my country - which I am very proud of - against the best team in the world, at home, at some fantastic venues, is a dream. It’s the highlight of my coaching career and our players will be prepared.”