Leeds Rhinos icon on pundit duty as BBC TV confirm England v Australia rugby league Ashes coverage
The BBC has confirmed its live television coverage of the rugby league Ashes Test series which begins this month.
All three matches will be shown live on BBC One and the BBC iPlayer, with Leeds Rhinos legend Jamie Peacock part of the presenting team alongside Warrington Wolves coach Sam Burgess. The series opens at Wembley on Saturday, October 25. Everton's new stadium at Bramley Moore Dock hosts the second game a week later and the final match is at Rhinos’, AMT Headingley on November 8.
Mark Chapman will lead the BBC presenting team which also includes former players Kevin Brown, Jon Wilkin and Robbie Hunter-Paul, plus England women’s star Jodie Cunningham. Tanya Arnold and Damian Johnson will report from pitch side, with commentary from Matt Newsum alongside James Graham, Jonathan Davies, John Kear and Brian Noble.
BBC Sport director Alex Kay-Jelski said: “Bringing the rugby league Ashes back to audiences for the first time in a generation isn’t just about broadcasting the matches, it’s about reconnecting fans with one of the sport’s most iconic rivalries. Alongside the live action on BBC One, BBC iPlayer and the BBC Sport website and app, we’re diving deeper into the stories, moments and players to take fans right into the heart of the action.”
Rhodri Jones, managing director of RL Commercial, added: “The return of the rugby league Ashes after a 22-year absence is a landmark moment for the sport in this country and we are delighted that all three Tests will be shown live on BBC One. BBC Sport’s relationship with rugby league - and specifically international rugby league - stretches back many decades, to Clive Sullivan’s World Cup-winning try in France in 1972, through other classic moments such as the famous Jonathan Davies score against Australia at Wembley in 1994 and, more recently, Herbie Farnworth’s long-range effort against Samoa in the World Cup semi-final at the Emirates Stadium in 2022. We’re looking forward to Shaun Wane’s England team and the 2025 Kangaroos providing more classic sporting moments for a national audience in London, Liverpool and Leeds this autumn.”