Aussie-New Zealand rugby league returns to Las Vegas: This is the sequel

LAS VEGAS — Las Vegas is a notorious big-show city.On Saturday at Allegiant Stadium, the National Rugby League from Australia and New Zealand will deliver its Act 2 to the U.S.a year after debuting with a doubleheader at the home of the NFL’s Las Vegas Raiders.“This is the sequel,’’ Andrew Abdo, CEO of the NRL, told The Post.

“And we’re going to make sure this sequel is bigger and better.’’It was a success a year ago, the first of a five-year contractual commitment to Vegas, with four NRL teams playing in that doubleheader to open the league season.This year, four NRL teams from the 17-team league will play in two games on a bill that will also include a women’s exhibition match between the Australian Jilaroos and the England national team as well as a UK Super League match between the Wigan Warriors and Warrington Wolves.The NRL matchups will pit the Canberra Raiders and the New Zealand Warriors at 7 p.m., and then the Penrith Panthers and Cronulla Sharks play at 11:30 p.m.in the event’s finale.

The Raiders-Warriors match will be televised on Fox.“We have four fixtures, not two, this year, so the opportunity to showcase rugby league in Las Vegas, the sports and entertainment capital of America, in that stadium, it’s a unique one,’’ Abdo said.Abdo is unapologetic in his admission that the NRL is following the blueprint of the NFL’s globalization as it’s played games in England, Mexico, Germany and will play in Australia for the first time in 2026.“We’ve absolutely shamelessly looked at what’s working for other big global sports,’’ Abdo said.“So, quite deliberately, quite strategically, the U.S.

was a really important market for us early on in that globalization strategy.This is something the NFL has been doing for a number of years.

The NFL is obviously the premium American football product.“Being able to have fans attend live allows them to follow the sport, play fantasy and follow the sport throughout the season....