Brian Carney insists rugby league is ahead of union to crack US market ahead of Las Vegas history

Alex Spink
Brian Carney

Sky Sports' Brian Carney has taken aim at the RFL for their silence on the Salford matter.

It got weird for Brian Carney long before he dressed up as Elvis Presley and paraded around a hotel full of rugby league fans 5,000 miles from Manchester.

A flight bound for Las Vegas packed with passengers wearing Super League jerseys; Sin City’s famous strip clogged with supporters of Wigan and Warrington, not to mention followers of the sport from as far afield as Australia and New Zealand.

“It’s all quite surreal,” the cross-code star turned Sky Sports commentator said. Then he opened his wardrobe and dug out a high-collared white American Eagle jumpsuit, black wig and gold sunglasses.

Welcome to rugby league’s big weekend away. Not to be confused with Magic Weekend, the annual pilgrimage made to a single stadium by every team in Super League to promote the sport.

Las Vegas ’25 is not about showcasing the code domestically, rather globally. Trying to win over a new audience Stateside and capture a slice of the highly lucrative US sports market.

“In business, in leadership, in life – if you want to be the best, you can’t just do what’s always been done,” England head coach Shaun Wane posted on LinkedIn. “You have to challenge the norm, be brave enough to take risks, think differently to get ahead.”

So it is that Wigan, the most pioneering of all British rugby league clubs, are in town to face a Warrington side happily reunited with Sam Burgess after their coach belatedly resolving his visa issue.

“They reckon ticket sales are in excess of 55,000,” said Carney. “More than 10,000 of those coming from Super League. It’s quite an achievement.”

Even for Wigan, who famously entered and won the Middlesex rugby union Sevens in 1996 and took part in cross-code challenge matches with Bath, this is ambitious.

🇺🇸 VIVA LAS VEGAS 🇺🇸

👉🏻 Matt Peet makes huge admission on Wigan Warriors future ahead of Las Vegas trip

👉🏻 Rugby league in Las Vegas: Everything you need to know about 2025 extravaganza

👉🏻 Las Vegas ticket sales update as major record set to be broken by Super League and NRL

“Mike Danson, their owner, basically said to his chief executive, ‘make it happen,’” explained Carney. “‘Whatever you need to do to elevate the game of rugby league, and by dint of that elevate the town of Wigan, there’s the cheque book, do it.’

“Kris Radlinski then emailed the NRL to say, ‘Can we be part of this?’ Mike wrote the cheque, and they’re here. Same with Warrington and Simon Moran. These men are visionaries.”

All of which begs the question why are they doing it? What is their motive? Wigan are giving up a home game with all its commercial benefits. Far from being an earner, this jaunt will cost them big time.

The answer lies in sport’s holy grail, the US sporting dollar. Wigan and Warrington are speculating to accumulate. There will the no overnight return, but the hope is that rugby league this weekend will leave an indelible mark on the superpower’s consciousness.

“With the NRL’s five-year plan there is an opportunity for rugby league to gain a foothold in this market,” said Carney, who played for both Wigan and Warrington in a career that also took in union with Munster and Ireland.

“And what I’m feeling is a buzz about the place, an interest in the game from locals as well as travelling fans. This is a real chance for league to gain even a tiny toehold in this market.”

Union has been pushing for years. It has a professional league – Major League Rugby – and has even awarded the United States its 2031 and 2033 Rugby World Cups (men’s and women’s respectively).

Yet push Carney on what code stands the better chance and he is clear. It is not union.

“I’m a rugby union fan. I like rugby union,” he said. “But you come over here and try to explain the two codes to people and Americans instantly get league.

“We went to the UFC high performance centre yesterday and their vice president of performance, Duncan French, a Yorkshireman and Leeds Rhinos fan incidentally, agreed.

“League translates easily from NFL,” he told us. “For four downs read set of six. That’s easy to understand. League is a less complex game. He also believes it is the most ferocious field sport in the world and Americans will be drawn to that.”

To emphasise the point Sky Sports created a brilliant promo, juxtaposing footage from NFL and Super League – touchdowns to tries, rushes to line breaks, overtime drama to golden points.

And then there was the sign-off: “There’s plenty of big hits – and we’re not wearing any pads.”

Carney again: “League is not looking to establish clubs over here, like they are in union. League doesn’t have a World Cup coming up over here. League is about bringing big events in and grabbing the attention of the locals.

“Union has its nuances and its technicalities. Some would say you have to be a real lover of the game to want to watch a scrum being reset. League is loud, brash, in your face, non-stop action. Forty minutes, take a rest then go again for another 40.

“So I think it’s got that appeal. If I was trying to sell the games, league and union, to the Americans, I’d prefer the job of trying to sell league.”

Allegiant Stadium, home to the Las Vegas Raiders American football team, will host four matches on Saturday.

From Australia’s NRL, the Canberra Raiders will lock horns with the New Zealand Warriors and Penrith will play Cronulla.

Wigan and Warrington will represent Super League, England and Australia will meet in a women’s international.

“This week has the potential to ignite things,” said Carney. “How brilliant would it be to make this an annual event. To again be able to say, ‘Join us next week when we’ll be live in Las Vegas for a game of rugby league’. How brilliant would that be?”

Wigan Warriors vs Warrington Wolves will be live on Sky Sports and NOW at 9.30pm on Saturday in the UK.

THURSDAY’S READS ON LRL

👉🏻 St George powerhouse offered to Super League clubs in recruitment twist

👉🏻 The LRL Las Vegas Diary: Media day musings, VIP spotting and 2026 plans

👉🏻 Barrie McDermott’s heartfelt tribute to Rob and Lindsey Burrow as memoirs published

👉🏻 Super League predictions: Andrew Henderson’s tips including Hull KR upset, Las Vegas showdown

Features Brian Carney

Related Articles