Inside the 'special' National Rugby League season opener in Las Vegas
LAS VEGAS — In the promotional build-up to Australia's National Rugby League competition bringing the first two matches of its regular season to Allegiant Stadium, actor Russell Crowe promised the American audience would get to see "football, but not as you know it."
On Saturday night, that's what happened.
The league's unique brand of breathless athleticism, ferocious collisions, outrageous feats of skill and raw passion has much in common with American football, once you get your head around the absence of helmets, pads, forward passing and breaks in the action.
The scorelines from Sin City, as seen on FS1 and the FOX Sports app, were a 36-24 victory for Manly Warringah Sea Eagles against South Sydney Rabbitohs, followed by Sydney Roosters defeating Brisbane Broncos 20-10.
But while each result may turn out to have serious significance as the season plays out between now and September, the big win for the NRL came in how its sport and its athletes were received in a place where entertainment is plentiful and attention must be earned.
A crowd of 40,746 exceeded early predictions and seemed to be a fairly even split, between interested locals picking up the game on the fly and the swarms of Aussies who piled into Nevada after flights of 11 hours and more from Australia's east coast throughout the week.
"It has exceeded our expectations, both in terms of the Aussie fans who have traveled over here and really embraced it, and all the local fans who have come out too," said NRL CEO Andrew Abdo.
The American sports scene is crowded and competitive. The NRL knows it won't grasp America's notice simply by coming for one weekend, however well it was executed.
The plan is to return every year until 2028 and to make small realistic steps. Somewhat similarly to the NFL, rugby league in Australia is probably close to having maxed out its potential audience at home. Coming overseas was a smart, bold next move, and Vegas made perfect sense as a destination.
As NFL commissioner Roger Goodell will tell you, taking games to a different country is no simple logistical task, but the time difference actually worked in the NRL's favor, with a Saturday night timeslot sitting neatly into the regular Australian fixture slots of Sunday lunchtime and afternoon Down Under.
On the field, some of rugby league's biggest stars shined bright.
Luke Brooks, one of the most high-profile new signings of the offseason, was outstanding for Manly, and finished off the team's high-scoring win with a dynamic late try.
South Sydney's Latrell Mitchell showed flashes of brilliance in defeat, his quick hands and fierce running proving why he is one of the stars of the sport.
In the second match of the doubleheader, James Tedesco's leadership was critical as the Roosters showed greater ball security to outlast Brisbane, although the Broncos' biggest highlight came from star fullback Reece Walsh, capping off a spectacular move.
For Tedesco, 31, the captain of the Australian national team, winning at Allegiant in a matchthat has been so highly anticipated in his homeland was one of his career highlights.
"It was good to soak up at the end," Tedesco told me. "There is so much build-up that you don't want to think about it too much. Afterward, I was looking around, thinking about how the Super Bowl was here a few weeks ago. It was special."
Abdo and the NRL leadership were buoyed by the events of the past week, including a fan fest in Vegas' old town that drew 5,000 revelers, but admitted he looks forward to learning from this experience and improving on it further in future years.
The best part about this was that it mattered — genuine regular-season matches with points at stake — four teams with big aspirations aiming to get their campaign off to the perfect start. Ultimately, only two of them could.
"Before I let home, I was told it's always tough to win in Vegas," joked Broncos head coach Kevin Walters. "That's how it turned out to be for us."
Martin Rogers is a columnist for FOX Sports. Follow him on Twitter @MRogersFOX and subscribe to the daily newsletter.
