NRL Las Vegas: Wigan thrash Warrington in Super League opener with Bevan French starring

The NRL tried its luck in Las Vegas last year, and has come back with more chips on the table this time around.

The second iteration of rugby league’s Stateside sojourn is be under way at Allegiant Stadium, the state-of-the-art NFL ground that lies east of the Vegas Strip.

Organisers are hopeful of welcoming as many as 50,000 fans into the roofed stadium for a day of rugby league unlike any other.

Even last year’s maverick first visit to the US was only half the size, with an English Super League match and women’s Test match now joining two NRL fixtures on the playbill.

The first of four kick-offs is slated for 1.30pm local time (8.30am AEDT) as Wigan meet Warrington, before Canberra and the Warriors play the first of this NRL season’s 213 matches (11am AEDT).

Wigan thrashed Warrington 48-24 in the opening game with former Parramatta Eels star Bevan French scoring Wigan’s third try in the latter stages of the first half. French was everywhere for Wigan and helped set up four more tries during the demolition job.

Wolves fans were left with something to cheer about after Matty Aston scored an intercept length of the field try in the final minute.

Losing his shoe from an attempted ankle tap as he passed Wigan’s 20-metre mark failed to slow him down.

Wolves coach and former South Sydney legend Sam Burgess almost failed to make the trip due to issues with his visa.

The Australian and English women’s teams then clash for the first time since 2017 with the Jillaroos boosted by the return of NRLW Dally M winner Olivia Kenrick who was controversially overlooked for the Pacific Championships by former coach Brad Donald.

Cronulla will try to knock off four-time reigning premiers Penrith as the big finish to this unique Vegas show with Nicho Hynes desperate to show in 2025 he is no pretender and the Sharks are the real deal.

Canberra are hoping they put in a strong performance against the Warriors to put the drunken inflatable bat fight between Hudson Young and Tom Smithies in the background of their coverage.

The Warriors star recruit James Fisher-Harris will be looking to make his mark after winning four titles at Penrith before asking the Panthers for a release to return home to New Zealand.

It’s not just organisers who have expanded their horizons for the second Vegas visit.

Fans have come from further afield too. If you’d kept an ear out on the Vegas Strip over the past week, you’d have heard the roaring accents of Northern England mingling with Kiwi lilts.

The supporter event in downtown Vegas was bigger and better, with some estimating as many as 10,000 punters crammed on to Fremont Street to catch a glimpse of their idols on Thursday night.

The league also established a fan zone inside the luxurious Resorts World, which played host to hundreds of punters each day from Wednesday.

Absent from the program last year, the site was more popular than the league anticipated as fans spilt into the vestibules of the hotel precinct waiting for autographs.

The size of the event has grown to match the NRL’s ambition.

Chief executive Andrew Abdo said last week the NRL believed that rugby league would slowly but surely find its way into the hearts of the American people.

“We want Americans to not only think about NFL and NBA and NHL, but add NRL to that repertoire of sports that they follow and love,” he said.

Unlike most gambles in Vegas, the NRL will to need to wait to collect its winnings, particularly when it comes to sustained engagement with the sport by Americans.

One visit to Allegiant Stadium does not a rugby league die-hard make.

“Once they start seeing it on TV, they think, ‘I’ve got to be there next year’,” said Warriors coach Andrew Webster.

“That’s when we can grow the American audience.”

The NRL’s dream for America is so big it extends beyond Vegas, and beyond one Saturday in March.

“It’s about how many fans we can get interested in the sport throughout the season, watching on television, streaming, playing NRL Fantasy, being engaged with the sport,” Abdo said.

Will it all pay off? Pundits and fans are split.

But there’s one thing anyone will tell you of the NRL’s American dream, this most extravagant of Vegas bets.

“It’s a very brave move,” said Penrith coach Ivan Cleary.

“Obviously I don’t know the numbers and all that, but the feeling is incredible. It’s good to see so many people.

“I’m quite honoured to be able to showcase our amazing sport over here.”

NRL VEGAS FIXTURES AEDT

8.30am Wigan v Warrington

11am Canberra v Warriors

1pm Australia v England (women)

3.30pm Penrith v Cronulla