With rugby league’s takeover of Las Vegas in full swing, Sky Sports’ Megan Wellens takes you behind the scenes of a bonkers opening couple of days…
Once you get over the initial jet lag (this is a lie, I am not over this yet), the first task in Las Vegas is to take in the sights and, 17,000 steps later, I had done just that.
Now, this is not my first time in Las Vegas; I came 10 years ago when I was 19, but what I noticed this time was how rugby league had truly taken over.
Sky Sports Rugby League’s Brian Carney was not lying when he said this feels like rugby league on a different level and there is nothing that hammers home that opinion than seeing advertisements for Saturday’s match – appealing to American audiences as ‘NFL without the pads’ – plastered over massive LED billboards between iconic hotels such as Caesar’s Palace, the Bellagio, and New York-New York. Indeed, there is even a big advert that plays on the side of my hotel.
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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.
Not only that, the fans themselves make this an event. Every couple of minutes of walking down the strip, you saw a Super League or NRL jersey, with fans stopping and interacting with players and coaches when they see them out and about.
Each team has their own designated bar for fans to enjoy too. Down at the Rockhouse in the Venetian, the Hull KR fans were proudly showing off the World Club Challenge trophy as fans discussed what had been one of the best weeks of their lives. It is an event in which the fans are being put first and getting to interact with their heroes in a city that gives them a trip of a lifetime too.
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Hull KR’s wingers Tom Davies and Noah Booth ride the SlotZilla Zipline on Fremont Street, Las Vegas.
Down at the ‘Welcome to Las Vegas’ sign on media duties the fan interaction did not stop for the players either. Elliot Minchella enjoyed a chat and laugh with some Aussie fans who have travelled over, with one member of their group not as keen to talk to the Hull KR captain, the Brisbane Broncos cap giving the game away that he might not be too fond of the East Hull side at the moment.
The rugby league takeover had permeated through for the locals too, with my taxi driver talking about how he was thinking about heading down to Fremont Street for the party on Thursday night while his friends all had tickets for the games on Saturday.
Rugby league is truly at the forefront of one of the world’s most iconic cities.
Super League is once again taking over Las Vegas!
A media event in a nightclub shows we are doing things differently
The atmosphere of the rugby league festival continued into Wednesday too, with the excitement hitting a new level that I did not think was possible.
With the fan hub opening in Resorts World, it was, of course, the English fans that were first down there to listen to the entertainment and take in the conversations with sporting heroes that were littered about throughout the day.
James Graham was on the mic, Luke Keary was in attendance, and rugby league fans were treated to a smorgasbord of entertainment all in one place.
Chatting to fans, they were jet lagged, they were tired, they were overawed, but they were on cloud nine to be out in Las Vegas watching their team.
Next door to the fan hub, from the outside, was an unassuming nightclub in which the media event and fan signings were to be held.
Once that kicked off, I knew I was seeing rugby league on a scale I had never seen before.
The venue was quickly packed out and, as the six captains took to the stage, Super League showed once again just why it has some of the greatest fans in the world.
Ash Handley was welcomed with his song by the Leeds Rhinos fans
As Ash Handley took to the stage, his personal chant rang around. When Elliot Minchella came up, ‘championees’ and ‘red, red robin’ were the songs of choice. KR fans jeered Leeds and the Rhinos did that straight back.
Quite clearly, the Aussie players were in shock by the level of noise from their English compatriots.
Me? I was nothing other than proud to watch the sport elevated and the fans show just exactly why it should be.
With a couple of the captains affectionately calling the English fans ‘mental’, which only made them go even louder, it was abundantly evident that this was going to be aweek to remember.
Before coming, I was told that Tuesday and Wednesday were the ‘quiet’ days of the trip.
If that was quiet, bring on Fremont Street on Thursday.
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-April 5
- Super League in Paris: Sat Jun 6: Catalans Dragons vs Wigan Warriors (Paris), 6:30 UK (Sky Sports)
- Magic Weekend: July 4-July 5
- Rivals Round reversed: July 23-July 26
- Elimination Play-offs: September 19-September 20
- Play-off semi-finals: September 26-September 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+
