Photo by David Becker/Getty Images for NRL
Australian rugby league is trying to become the off-season football U.S. fans need.
The NFL is trying to get a foothold overseas to make football an international game, now rugby league is trying the same thing. National Rugby League (NRL), Australia’s premier league, is trying to get its game global by taking a big step this weekend by opening the season at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas.
A double-header will be played on Saturday with the Manly Warringah Sea Eagles playing the South Sydney Rabbitohs, followed by the sport’s biggest rivalry when the Brisbanr Broncos face the Sydney Roosters.
On paper rugby league has everything sports fans in the United States are looking for during football’s offseason. It’s fast-paced, violent, athletic — and unlike traditional rugby union, rugby league works off a limited attempts system, similar to downs in the NFL. In an effort to educate American fans about how the game is played the NRL is bringing out the big guns, with Russell Crowe narrating the rules of the game.
Crowe is a co-owner of the Rabbitohs, the team he grew up supporting as a child. He’s at the forefront of trying to make the game catch on overseas. While there hasn’t been a lot of national buzz about NRL coming to Vegas, fans of the sport are absolutely aware that it’s here — and have been flocking to the city in preparation for the games.
With a brutal time difference between Australia and the USA, it’s often difficult for fans to catch games — often starting anywhere from 2 a.m. to 4 a.m. ET. However, the nighttime games in Vegas offer a rare opportunity for fans to catch the best rugby league players in the world on a brighter stage than many of them have ever seen.
How to watch the NRL season openers in the USA
Both games will be broadcast live on FS1, with Fubo also partnering with the NRL to stream the games for free this weekend.
Sea Eagles vs. Rabbitohs: Saturday, March 2 — 9:30 p.m. ET
Roosters vs. Broncos: Saturday, March 2 — 11:30 p.m. ET
