Australian prime minister Anthony Albanese is the world’s most powerful rugby league fan, but in an election year that may be another crown under threat. US president Donald Trump has been invited to attend rugby league’s season-launching showcase in Las Vegas next month during a blitz on American television by NRL supremo Peter V’landys and retired player Aaron Woods.
The Rugby League Commission chair issued an invitation to the American leader on Fox News in the US on Monday morning AEDT, and the long-time horse racing administrator even weighed in on the US trade war.
“Mr President, we want to introduce you to the toughest game on earth, rugby league, in the world’s sport and entertainment capital, Las Vegas. We know you love physical, tough contact sports,” he said. “There’s no sport more brutal than rugby league, our players don’t wear pads or helmets.”
V’landys revealed his plans to pursue Trump in an interview with Channel Seven two weeks ago, when he labelled him “a walking billboard”. “You’ll have American media cover our event ad nauseam, you’d probably get the most publicity rugby league’s ever had if he turns up,” he said.
Trump was at the NFL Super Bowl a week ago as the first sitting president to attend the American football season climax. The Philadelphia Eagles – featuring Australian Jordan Mailata, a junior with Albanese’s favourite team South Sydney – defeated defending champions Kansas City in New Orleans.
The sports-loving Trump has hosted golf events at his courses and continued his strategy to use sport to elevate his profile by making an appearance at the Daytona Nascar race on Monday morning. His efforts to block transgender women and girls from competing in female sports mean his growing presence in sport has already been divisive.
In V’landys’ pre-recorded invitation on Fox News, the NRL tsar sought to make light of Trump’s controversial first days as president. “As you know, Mr President, the US has a trade surplus with Australia, one of the rare countries. You attending will balance this out a bit.”
Former Wests Tigers and Cronulla Sharks forward Woods was in Florida for the Nascar race, and on the Fox broadcast echoed V’landys’ pitch with a custom NRL jersey with Trump’s name on the back.
“In soccer they take a lot of dives, in rugby league it’s all about your passion, you want to look for that collision,” he said. “We’re out at the Daytona at the moment, and you see how fast these guys rev the cars. We’re coming off the back fence, you rip in, and you just want to find that contact, that’s what it’s all about.”
The Las Vegas season-opener at Allegiant Stadium has been expanded in its second year to also include a women’s Test between Australia and England and a match between English sides Wigan and Warrington. Canberra play New Zealand and premiers Penrith meet Cronulla in the NRL double-header.
