The doomsayers got in early back in 2023 when National Rugby League’s original five-year plan to take its season opener to the bright lights of Las Vegas, the entertainment capital of the world, was first revealed. Mad. Bad. Lunacy. A joke and a waste of money.
The Australian Rugby League Commission chairman, Peter V’landys, was hammered for his outlandish idea. Then the colourful V’landys and his NRL staff pulled it off, getting more than 42,000 fans to attend the 65,000-seat Allegiant Stadium, home of the American football’s Raiders, to watch Manly against Souths and the Broncos take on the Roosters in an intense and eye-catching bill.
The spectacle was amazing, Americans were engaged and rusted-on fans were energised. Media attention skyrocketed. TV viewership in Australia grew and all of the NRL competition received a boost, with record crowds and revenue gained last season. But 2025 Stateside became even bigger, with English Super League clubs Wigan and Warrington joining in the fun, along with a women’s Test between Australia and England.
Two matches in Vegas became four and a new British element was added, proving to be a masterstroke. Another 3,000 spectators were added to the crowd, free-to-air TV coverage in America was landed, and more headlines and publicity in UK media were garnered. The whole event went to a new level.
Since landing in Las Vegas last Tuesday, the atmosphere across Sin City has been palpable. You could barely walk along the Strip without seeing a rugby league shirt or a former player wandering along. The NRL stuffed the Nevada city with events, media opportunities, billboards, advertisements and fan festivals, as well as a Nines competition, an NRL Combine and even a Greece vs USA Test match.
Giant signage adorned Las Vegas Boulevard and Fremont Street was packed. Local cabbies were aware of the event and each day fans flew in from all four corners of the globe. Rugby league in Vegas is a party no footyhead wanted to miss. Forget who was playing, from Bradford to Parramatta supporters, this was a special, once-in-a-lifetime adventure worth savouring.
Saturday did not disappoint, from the sunny weather in Paradise to the action on the pitch, and the lively mood inside the ground. Wigan showed why they are one of the best rugby league teams in the world, in any competition, by dominating Sam Burgess’s Warrington. The Wolves captain, George Williams, could not hide his deep disappointment post-match after his club was trounced, and even publicly apologised to the Wire faithful for the lacklustre display.
Canberra proved they can be a force in the NRL this season by outplaying the disappointing Warriors. The Jillaroos once again demonstrated how immensely talented and superior they are by ruthlessly smashing England’s women by an eye-watering 90-4 scoreline.
And Penrith sent out a message that the drive for a record five premierships is still on, even sans James Fisher-Harris and Jahrome Luai, by fighting back to batter Cronulla. Ivan Cleary and his merry men have built something so special in the foot of the mountains.
Yes, not everything went to plan. Burgess had his visa issues and only arrived in America late. The Raiders forwards Morgan Smithies and Hudson Young received a talking to after their elevator scuffle and hopes of hitting the 50,000 crowd target went unrealised. Donald Trump didn’t turn up, despite V’Landys invitation to the president on Fox and Friends. But no matter.
The feelgood factor remained and supporters loved every minute of their time following rugby league in Vegas. Talk to any who made the trip and you’ll be greeted with happy memories and hit with large smiles. “The Greatest Game” has certainly found a new home in Nevada.
V’landys, the Wollongong Dana White, was certainly quick to spruik the fact that it has been such a success that Vegas wants the sport to stay there beyond the current deal that ends in 2028.
“That is true, [the tourism chief] said they had a $100m economic stimulus here in Vegas with the NRL being here,” he told reporters. “When we came here last year, they thought we were delusional that we would bring this many people here. [This year] we brought nearly 17,000 Australians, 8,000 from New Zealand and 10,000 from England.
“It’s a lot of people in the Vegas community, so they certainly want us back. Last year was a bit of a haze. This year, I’ve sat back and watched everything we’ve done, and I think we can do so much better.
“We’re making enormous progress but we’ve had some very big guns in America, experts in sports management, that have come to us and given us more confidence with how we can break into the American market. So, I’m very confident that by year five, we’ll have a major impact here in America. I’m more confident now than I was last year.”
Bonhomie aside, 2025 seemed a more powerful, entertaining and engaging event than what occurred 12 months before. Super League is on board, fans and media were in raptures, and all the NRL players and coaches have been crowing about the American experience.
Leaving Las Vegas? Rugby league is just settling in.
