Having another roll in Las Vegas this weekend is a long way from rugby league's first forays into selling the sport to Americans. A grainy black-and-white newsreel of a bunch of college students in uniforms that covered them from the knees to wrists is stored in the National Film and Sound Archive of Australia under the

Rugby league has returned to Las Vegas in its continuing mission to convert Americans to football without pads, drawing 50,000 fans to Allegiant stadium.

Saturday’s game day began with an English Super League match in which the Wigan Warriors routed the Warrington Wolves, 48-24. Bringing the Brits into the fray was a brilliant move, because no fan base sings and parties harder than the Brits. They were heard all week up and down Vegas Strip and in every casino.

The NRL's second venture into Las Vegas and the American market was an overwhelming success. But there were a couple of things the league and Channel 9 got very wrong. Channel 9's decision not to have commentators calling the game in-person resulted in some backlash from fans,

Four games of rugby league, traditionally played in the north of England and Australia, will be played in Sin City this weekend. Why?

Rugby League in Las Vegas 2025 will be bigger, bolder and better, with more games, more teams, more nations and more opportunities for travelling supporters to take advantage of a once-in-a-lifetime experience.