LAS VEGAS — After a week of hype and celebrations around Las Vegas surrounding Rugby League being in town, the games finally arrived Saturday night at Allegiant Stadium and surprises and color ensued.
In the opening game, played between two Super League rivals from England, the Leeds Rhinos stunned the Hull Kingston Rovers in a 58-6 rout of the World Cup Challenge title holders.
The game, in which Hull was a decided favorite, was dominated by Leeds star Maika Sivo, who used to play in the Aussie National Rugby League. Sivo scored four tries (a try is the equivalent of an NFL touchdown) and set up another on a dynamic 60-meter run.
The Leeds domination came to the delight of its vociferous supporters, who sang the Killers hit song, “Mr. Brightside’’ loudly and in unison throughout the game.
The second game was the first of the two NRL games — the marquee part to the night — between the favored Queensland Cowboys and the Newcastle Knights.
This game was far more competitive than the one between the English sides, with the Knights defeating the Cowboys, 28-18.
After the Knights, who were underdogs as the “Wooden Spoon’’ recipients in 2025 given to the last-place finishers in NRL, took a 12-0 lead, North Queensland tied it 12-12 at the half.
The Knights scored first in the second half on a try from Brandon Best, who took a feed from Kalyn Ponga and finished the final 25 meters. Ponga’s conversion kick gave the Knights an 18-12 lead with 33 minutes remaining.
A minute later, Dominic Young scored a try to give the Knights a 22-12 lead, with the Ponga conversion hitting the upright.
Four minutes after Young’s try, the Cowboys Murray Taulagi scored his second try of the night and the Knights’ lead was cut to 22-18.
The bone-crunching hit of the night came with 8:40 remaining when Braiden Burns from the Cowboys nearly decapitated Ponga with a high hit. Burns was sent off to the “sin bin’’ for the rest of the match for the penalty.
One minute after the hit heard ’round Allegiant Stadium, the Knights took the 28-18 lead on a try by Trey Mooney and a Ponga conversion with 7:30 remaining.
The result of the nightcap was epic.
The Canterbury Bulldogs, slated as the best team among the four NRL teams in Vegas this week based on their finish last season, defeated the St. George Illawarra Dragons, 15-14 in a sudden death drop goal (a cross between an NFL field goal and a drop kick) in the second overtime.
It was the ultimate way to end the third year of NRL bringing its game to the U.S., which for the uninitiated best equates to 80 minutes of non-stop no-huddle two-minute drives in the NFL.
