Martin Rogers
FOX Sports Insider
The intention of North American sports to expand their footprint in other countries – most notably the NFL – continues to grow.
Early next year, just a few weeks after the Super Bowl, the process will work in reverse.
Australia’s National Rugby League competition, wildly popular in its own country and seeking to generate traction in the U.S. market, will kick off its season by playing a pair of official regular-season games at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas on March 2.
The Brisbane Broncos will take on the Sydney Roosters while the South Sydney Rabbitohs clash with the Manly Sea Eagles, four of the most-followed and accomplished teams in the Australian competition.
If you’re wondering what to expect as a viewing spectacle, Manly’s Aaron Woods and South Sydney’s Campbell Graham made it pretty clear in an interview with FOX sideline reporter Laura Okmin during a visit to the Las Vegas Raiders-Minnesota Vikings Week 14 showdown at Allegiant on Sunday.
“Americans love the collisions in sport,” Woods said. “We want to bring the main game from Australia that we love doing back home. There’s no helmets, no pads, we are just here to make a collision and get the fans pumped up.”
“We are just going to try to get out here and bash each other really,” Graham said with a laugh. “We want to come out here and entertain and I think we’ve got the product to do that.”
At its highest level, the sport of rugby league, played with 13 players per side, features ferocious tackling and elite athleticism, and NRL matches captivate both live and television audiences Down Under. Woods and Graham are part of a contingent of players and administrators currently touring the United States to drum up interest and were particularly taken with the tailgating culture that is a staple part of the American football experience.
Having the NRL’s steps into the U.S. take place in the same venue that will host the Super…
Source link : https://www.foxsports.com/stories/other/national-rugby-league-to-play-two-regular-season-games-in-las-vegas-on-fs1
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Publish date : 2023-12-11 20:59:03
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