Spencer Leniu

NRL caught in embarrassing USA blunder

The NRL are on a promotional tour in the country ahead of Round 1.

Published by
Scott Pryde

The NRL has been called out by the Utah Rugby League for an embarrassing blunder on their promotional tour of the United States of America.

The tour, which saw a party of players - Campbell Graham (South Sydney Rabbitohs), Billy Walters (Brisbane Broncos), Spencer Leniu (Sydney Roosters) and Aaron Woods (Manly Sea Eagles) - head to the USA to promote the NRL around the NFL and take part in other activities.

The four clubs will all be involved in the 2024 season-opening matches at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas.

In one, Leniu visited Utah's Park City to run a coaching clinic and impart his rugby league knowledge on a local high school, which Leniu labelled to Nine News as "the pinnacle of rugby league in America."

Only, it wasn't.

Utah Rugby League, who run a four-team competition for the "Hopoate Cup" in a Winter 9s tournament, took to the post to call out the NRL for not actively engaging the American rugby league community.

"Disappointed with the NRL coming to Salt Lake City and running a clinic with a rugby union club... Interested to know what he [Leniu] taught them, the Utah rugby league account wrote.

"None of our community will come and support your games in Vegas."

The game's governing body in Utah also took to Twitter, threatening to pull all 13 teams out of an exhibition rugby league 9s tournament that the NRL was set to hold with local teams around the time of Round 1 in Las Vegas in 2024.

The NRL's 2024 season will kick-off on March 3 (March 2 American time) with the Manly Sea Eagles to clash with the South Sydney Rabbitohs, before the second game of the Vegas double-header sees the Sydney Roosters play the Brisbane Broncos.

The partnership between the NRL and Las Vegas is set to run for five years, with each NRL team making at least one trip halfway around the world in that period.

Published by
Scott Pryde