Shot in the arm: 'Roo Tour to boost game in England

England coach Shaun Wane believes the revival of the Ashes will provide another massive shot in the arm for the game in the Northern Hemisphere after the successful involvement of Super League clubs in Las Vegas.

The Kangaroos will travel to England 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.

For Wane, an Ashes series against Australia is the test he has been wanting since taking over the England job from Wayne Bennett in 2020, as the two nations have not met since the 2017 World Cup final at Suncorp Stadium.

English fans have been waiting even longer as the last Ashes series was in 2003, and the Kangaroos’ only visit to England since 2016 was for the last World Cup in 2022.

However, the two nations are now working closely together and after inviting Wigan and Warrington to play at Allegiant Stadium in a quadruple header on March 1, the ARLC has agreed to shift the Ashes series from Australia in a further boost to the British game.

“It will be huge,” Wane told NRL.com. “For them to put this series on and to travel to our country, I think that is so respectful of them to do that.

“The NRL put Vegas on last year and it was a success so to allow two Super League teams to come in and join in that is another example of how the respect they have shown us.

“Fair play to the NRL and the Aussies, to come to our country and play an Ashes series they have gone up in my estimation again.

“For me, the chance to coach England in an Ashes series against Australia - the best team in the world - is an absolute dream. It is going to be the biggest test for me as a coach.

“I am an avid NRL fan, I watch all of the games, and I love the standard of the athletes and the talent that they have, so this chance to pitch my players, and see where they are at, in three fantastic venues against a nation that I have lots of respect for makes me determined to win.”

The World Cup, which was postponed from 2021 due to Covid, had been set up for an England-Australia final at Old Trafford but after the Kangaroos edged New Zealand 16-14 in an epic semi-final in Leeds, Samoa spoiled the party by stunning the host nation 27-26 in London.

England have since beaten touring Tonga and Samoa teams in 2023 and 2024, and Wane is eagerly awaiting a shot at the Kangaroos ahead of the next World Cup hosted by the ARLC in Australia and Papua at the end of the 2026 season.

“I don’t think anything will help me to get over that [RLWC2021 semi-final against Samoa], but to beat Australia in our country I know what it means for our fans,” Wane said.

“If we can get an Ashes win, me and my players are going to be in the history books forever, but it is going to take some hard work.

We are playing against a country and a coach in Mal Meninga who are serial winners, so we need to be very, very good.

“I am going to make sure that I have my team prepared and I am looking forward to pitching myself against Mal, who is a man that I respect. He was a great player and has been involved in some unbelievable teams as a player and a coach.”

There are currently 10 English players in the NRL and Herbie Farnworth (Dolphins), Roosters pair Victor Radley and Dom Young, Kai Pearce-Paul (Knights), John Bateman (Cowboys) and Canberra’s Morgan Smithies and Matty Nicholson are expected to be in Wane’s squad if available.

Former Raiders halfback George Williams, now at Warrington, is the England captain, while long serving Rabbitohs prop Tom Burgess has returned home to join Huddersfield.