AMERICAN DREAM
Burgess hoping NRL hits Vegas jackpot
ENGLAND star Tom Burgess heads to Sin City wanting Americans to win big on rugby league.
The South Sydney prop takes part in a wild adventure when the new NRL season kicks off in Las Vegas.
It’s all part of the Aussie competition’s bold plans to bag a lucrative piece of the saturated US sports market.
But Super League bosses are also in town to see if they can latch onto the NRL’s five-year plan, with speculation Magic Weekend could potentially head to the gambling capital.
Burgess, 31, hopes it all takes off – and he might get recognised after a huge advert featuring him landed in one of the world’s busiest places. He said: “There’s been great publicity and not just in Vegas. They’ve even had my face up on the Times Square billboard in New York, so I’ll be able to tell the grandchildren that one day.
“There was a big rugby ball projected onto a building, spinning, with footage of all last year’s best NRL action and that has Russell Crowe’s voiceover explaining what rugby league is.
“We’ve been training in San Diego and people here are talking about it. The Vegas crowd will be great for rugby league as they’re up for anything.”
Hollywood star Crowe, who part-owns Souths, hopes to entice the multi-billion dollar NFL crowd stating, ‘rugby league is football.. but maybe not as you know it….’ emphasising how it’s ‘no helmets, no pads.’
Burgess, who returns to Super League with Huddersfield in 2025 after 12 years Down Under, knows all about American sport.
He almost switched to NFL in 2015 after trialling with New York Giants, Buffalo Bills and Pittsburgh Steelers.
But the Yorkshireman stuck with his first love and later played for England against New Zealand in Denver in 2018.
Burgess added: “It’s a big weekend for the NRL. They have big ambitions to keep growing the game and want to help out in the Super League as well, which I think is great.
“The powers that be have realised it’s an opportunity over here. And I was fortunate enough to play in that Test game in Colorado.
“We got a great crowd of around 20,000 and it was unreal. I’m sure we can beat that this weekend and I can’t wait to be a part of that. It’s going to be cool to try and grow the game in America.
“I’ve not been to Vegas since travelling around the US in 2015, but this time it’s for business.”
Souths face Manly and Sydney Roosters take on Brisbane Broncos in Sunday’s Allegiant Stadium doubleheader live on Fox Sports, which reaches more than 90m US homes.