“All right America, you need to see this.”
And so begins the NRL’s advertising campaign for its 2026 season-opening matches in Las Vegas.
Just days after the Super Bowl, Americans have been urged to turn to rugby league for their off-season footy fix. The pitch is a 30-second highlights package full of spectacular tries and massive hits, which will be shown on TV screens across the United States and posted on Vegas billboards.
It’s the third iteration of rugby league’s bold journey into America, headlined by a double header between the Knights and Cowboys, followed by the Bulldogs-Dragons grudge match at Allegiant Stadium on March 1.
Sports media personality Colin Cowherd narrates the advertisement, which begins with footage of Brisbane star Reece Walsh’s stunning try from last year’s grand final. NFL legend Rob Gronkowski, used in previous NRL promotions, then chimes in, describing it as “Football, but not as you know it. No pads. No armour. No timeouts.”
Reece Walsh’s try in the grand final will live long in the memory.Credit: Getty Images
Storm star Xavier Coates’s famous gravity-defying put-down gets a start, book ended by a collection of the biggest collisions from recent seasons.
“This is rugby league,” Cowherd says in the voiceover. “And when you bring that energy into Las Vegas, that’s your off-season solved.”
