Hull KR captain Elliot Minchella has had a week to remember but now knows he has to get back down to earth despite being in Las Vegas when they take on Leeds Rhinos on Saturday at the Allegiant Stadium.
Hull KR landed in Vegas off the back of their historic World Club Challenge win over Brisbane Broncos, allowing them to walk into what is an NRL-dominated event as the team that just beat their best.
It rounded off a magnificent trophy haul for the Robins with them now being world champions, plus holding the Grand Final, Challenge Cup, and League Leaders’ Shield.
It was another history-making moment for Hull KR who have had a year to remember under Willie Peters.
However, in Super League terms, they need to get their season up and running after their shock opening-round loss to York Knights, which means they headed to Las Vegas on zero competition points.
That is why Minchella is so focused on the task at hand and making sure the “bright lights” of Sin City are not a factor.
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Hull KR’s wingers Tom Davies and Noah Booth ride the SlotZilla Zipline on Fremont Street, Las Vegas
“It is bonkers to be honest, just bigger and better than anything I’ve ever seen before and they do things pretty good here,” Minchella told Sky Sports.
“It is a bit surreal, I look out of my bedroom window and there’s a big advert of all the NRL’s games being played, all the Super League being played, right on the side of the hotel.
“You have just got to take it all in and not get too caught up in all the big bright lights, that’s for all the fans to do and you know they’ll enjoy themselves while they’re here. But for us as players, you’ve got to get the balance right of being here for what we’re here for and that’s to get two points.
“We are on zero at the minute and we want to be on two on Saturday night.
“Speaking about it as a group it is about backing it up. We know we have been pretty good at achieving things and then going again the next week or whenever that next thing is, so we want to add this one to our collection if you like.
“It is a one-off game over here, but it is two points and it is two points that we need to be honest with you.
“We are on zero, so we want to win.”
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Leeds Rhinos stars Ryan Hall and Harry Newman travelled around the Las Vegas strip in a military hummer taking in all the sights and sounds of the iconic city
While focus is on the task at hand, Minchella and his side got to arrive in Vegas with a trophy in hand that the NRL have not been able to win on their last three attempts.
He admitted that it is nice to be able to send that statement out on a platform as big as the one in Las Vegas.
“We enjoyed it on Thursday night and then obviously we travelled down to London on Saturday and then we flew here on Sunday, so it is a quick on to the next thing,” he added.
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Hull KR defeated the Brisbane Broncos to win the World Club Challenge
“That is what we are very good at as a club, not getting too high with a win and not falling in love with yourself.
“Then when you lose as well it is about not being too down in the dumps. We are pretty good at just parking that and moving on to the next.
“There is no better week to do that than coming here, so it’s been really good for us.
“It’s pretty cool (to make that statement). It’s part of what we did, what we achieved last week.
“It was unbelievable and memories that will last forever. We set out to go and win that game and not many people fancied us and we got written-off quite a bit, so they always taste that little bit sweeter when you’re the underdog.
“What a feeling it was but like I said, we are on to the next thing and that’s Leeds on Saturday at an unbelievable stadium.”
Handley: We want to prove ourselves in this massive moment
Hull KR take on the Rhinos who got the better of the Robins in 2025, beating them home and away in Super League.
For Leeds captain Ash Handley, it is a chance for his side to put into action what they want to achieve this year while taking in what is a massive moment for the club.
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Leeds Rhinos’ Jarrod O’Connor, Danny Levi and Cameron Smith all joined Brian Carney before facing Hull KR at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas
“It is huge for our sport to have it all over, places like this, America. To have the branding everywhere and people shouting about it, making some noise about rugby league and how good it can be,” Handley said.
“It is brilliant, I am loving it so far and just looking forward to the week.
“Obviously, they are the top of the game at the moment, they have won it all and come off the back of a massive win against Brisbane.
“We want to prove ourselves this year with actions rather than words and show what we can do this year and there are no better people to do it against than the reigning champions.
“It will be pretty cool I think when I reflect on this year of my career that I have been able to come here and do something like this.
“It is massive for the sport, it is massive for the club.”
2026 Super League – key dates and what to look out for
- Rugby League in Las Vegas: Sat Feb 28: Hull KR vs Leeds Rhinos, 11pm (Sky Sports)
- Super League’s 30th birthday: Thu Mar 26: Castleford Tigers vs Bradford Bulls, 8pm (Sky Sports)
- Rivals Round: April 3-5
- Super League in Paris: Sat June 6: Catalans Dragons vs Wigan Warriors (Paris), 6:30 UK (Sky Sports)
- Magic Weekend: July 4-5
- Rivals Round reversed: July 23-26
- Elimination Play-offs: September 19-20
- Play-off semi-finals: September 26-27
- Grand Final: October 3, Old Trafford.
Sky Sports will again show every game of the Super League live this season – including two matches in each round exclusively live, with the remaining five matches each week shown on Sky Sports+
