The LRL Las Vegas Diary: Captain’s runs, celebrities in attendance and pre-game mood revealed

In the third part of his Las Vegas diary, Ross Heppenstall sees excitement hit fever pitch on the eve of Saturday’s four-game spectacular.

The day included captain’s runs at Allegiant Stadium, a high roller and rooftop bar drinks with the great and good of rugby league…

All eight teams had their stadium walkabouts and captain’s run on Friday with each side allocated a 30-minute slot at Allegiant Stadium.

First up at 10am were the Canberra Raiders followed by Wigan Warriors and then New Zealand Warriors.

Warrington Wolves were next up before Cronulla, England women, the Jillaroos and Penrith took centre stage in front of the watching media.

The Allegiant Stadium is an amazing sporting arena, a fitting amphitheatre for a truly momentous and historic occasion here on Saturday.

A lot of the players seemed genuinely blown away by the place and looked to still be pinching themselves, much like the rest of us.

A Super League fixture being played in Las Vegas? Are you sure? Well it’s happening and it’s going to be spectacular.

The NRL have been very accommodating with the media all week and accreditation for the game ensured entry to Friday’s captain’s runs.

Penrith also held a media opportunity from their hotel at Resorts World and, walking around the town, you could feel the excitement building.

English sports fans follow their teams with almost religious zeal and Wigan and Warrington supporters were everywhere.

In downtown Vegas, on the Strip, and at Fremont Street.

I went for lunch with a couple of colleagues just off the Strip and walked past a cluster of bars, all packed with rugby league followers.

Some Wire fans had draped a huge primrose and blue flag outside a bar with the words ‘I JUST CAN’T GET ENOUGH’ inscribed on it.  

That felt fitting, for this week has been pretty spectacular.

Indeed, spectacular was the word for my experience on the High Roller, a 550-foot tall, 520-foot diameter giant Ferris wheel on the Strip in a part of town called Paradise.

It’s similar to the London Eye and provided stunning views over Sin City.

Earlier in the day, I had bumped into Warrington supremo Karl Fitzpatrick at my hotel.

He had been to a sports conference and had some work to do as preparations intensified for Saturday’s game.

On Friday evening, RL Commercial had organised a social event for the great and good of UK rugby league… and a dozen or so journalists.

Set in front of the Bellagio Hotel and its famous fountains, the gathering was held at the plush Beer Park in the heart of the Strip.

There were queues to get in outside, but Rhodri Jones from RL Commercial soon appeared with a VIP wristband and ushered me into an area of the rooftop bar set aside for this event.

Moments later I was having a beer and a burger with my colleagues in the media.

I also caught up with the likes of Simon Johnson, the RFL chairman who appears to be coming under increasing pressure back home. Simon is a big supporter of Leeds United – a team I regularly cover – and we talked football as usual.

I also chatted with Frank Slevin, who is due to leave his role at RL Commercial shortly, and legendary former Wigan star Martin Offiah. Martin has been as busy as anyone here this week in his role as Wigan ambassador.

From interviewing Warriors fans who are out here to get married and watch their team, to doing podcasts with Aussie great Matty Johns, Chariots has been ubiquitous.

Warrington fan Stuart Pearce, an English football legend, and his wife were at Beer Park with the Wire directors.

The dress code was smart casual but chairman Stuart Middleton was proudly resplendent in a Warrington Wolves tracksuit top.

Leeds Rhinos chief executive Gary Hetherington was also present amid growing speculation that the men from Headingley could be playing here next year.

My media colleagues and I chatted about which Super League teams could be bound for Vegas in 2026.