The first international rugby league match is played between England and an Other Nationalities team (Welsh & Scottish players) in Central Park, Wigan, England.
The England national rugby league team represents England in international rugby league.
The team, largely formed from the Great Britain team which also represented Wales, Scotland and Ireland, is run under the auspices of the Rugby Football League. It participates in the Rugby League World Cup, Four Nations and Test matches.The team dates to 1904, when they played against a mixture of Welsh and Scottish players in Wigan. Until the 1950s, they regularly toured Australia and New Zealand and played both home and away matches against neighbours Wales and France, but when it was decided that Great Britain would tour the Southern Hemisphere instead of England, France and Wales became the only regular opponents.
Their first appearance in the Rugby League World Cup was in 1975. They have been three times runners-up; in 1975, 1995 and 2017. England also competed in the European Nations Cup, and, in 2006, an England 'A' team competed for the Federation Shield.
England's main rivals historically were Wales and France, with the rivalries stretching back to 1908 and 1934 respectively. England's main rivals now are Australia and New Zealand.
Traditionally a predominantly white kit is worn including white shorts and socks. However the jersey usually features some form of red, like red stripes, crosses or chevrons. These colours are similar to other English sporting teams and are the colours used on the national flag. In 2008, a new kit was introduced featuring a red cross on the front and red strips down the sides of the jersey, shorts and socks were white too with red strips. Also in 2008, the Rugby Football League chose to abandon the traditional English lion on the badge in favour of a much simpler shield and cross design.Currently, the team is ranked third in the world, behind New Zealand and Australia. Shaun Wane is the head coach, and Sean O'Loughlin the captain.
In 2019, it was announced that England will compete against Australia in future Rugby League Ashes series. Formerly the Ashes were contested between Great Britain and Australia up until 2003. The first Ashes series since 2003 was due to take place in 2020 but was cancelled due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.
Rugby league football, commonly known as just rugby league or simply league, rugby, football, or footy, is a full-contact sport played by two teams of thirteen players on a rectangular field measuring 68 metres (75 yards) wide and 112–122 metres (122 to 133 yards) long.One of the two extant codes of rugby football it originated in Northern England in 1895 as the result of a split from the Rugby Football Union over the issue of payments to the players. Its rules progressively changed with the specific aim of producing a faster and more entertaining game to appeal to spectators, on whose income it depended.In rugby league, points are scored by carrying the ball and touching it to the ground beyond the opposing team's goal line; this is called a try, and is the primary method of scoring. The opposing team attempts to stop the attacking side scoring points by tackling the player carrying the ball. In addition to tries, points can be scored by kicking goals. Field goals can be attempted at any time, and following a successful try, the scoring team gains a free kick to try at goal with a conversion for further points. Kicks at goal may also be awarded for penalties.
The Super League in Europe and the National Rugby League (NRL) in Australia are the world's premier club competitions. Globally, rugby league is played internationally, predominantly by European, Australasian, and Pacific Island countries, and is governed by the International Rugby League (IRL). Rugby league is the national sport of Papua New Guinea, and is a popular sport in countries such as England, Australia, New Zealand, France, Tonga, Fiji, Samoa, and Lebanon.The first Rugby League World Cup was held in France in 1954, the first World Cup of either Rugby code; the current holders are Australia.