USA to follow up SA tour with Vegas double-header against Greece

USA are set to follow up their end of year tour to South Africa by hosting Greee in men's and women's internationals as part of the NRL's Las Vegas rugby league festival.

The nations will play a double header on Friday, February 28  before the quadruple header at Allegiant Stadium the following day featuring a Super League premiership match between Wigan and Warrington, two NRL matches - Raiders v Warriors and Panthers v Sharks - and a women's international between England and Australia. 

“Competing against Greece presents a significant opportunity for our players to test their skills,” said USA Hawks coach Sean Rutgerson, whose side will also travel to South Africa in December for a two-game series.

“This fixture is crucial for offering valuable experiences and growth opportunities to our homegrown talent, challenging them beyond the domestic environment.

"Additionally, the fixture supports our strategic goal of developing and expanding our domestic player pool, ensuring our competitiveness on the international stage, and contributing to the overall health and strength of our domestic competitions.”

Rutgerson added: “We can't wait to build on the Las Vegas event from last year. The support and excitement keep building.”  

USA women’s head coach, Ady Cooney, noted: “We’re super excited to play Greece. It’s going to be a great test for us and we’ll get to see how we stack up against a team that’s been competing regularly.”

Greece men’s head coach, Steve Georgallis, commented: “We’re really looking forward to travelling to Las Vegas. We are planning a training run with the newly formed Los Angeles Roosters, which our main sponsor Nick Politis is also involved with.

“With many of our players near retirement age, this is a great opportunity to have a look at our next generation of players coming through. We will be using a mixture of heritage and domestic players and have also had some that reside in the USA reaching out to us about being involved.”

The Hawks will visit Pretoria, playing fixtures on 4 December 2024 at the Harlequins Rugby Club (kick off 6pm local time) and three days later at Grizzlies Rugby Club (kick off 4pm). In their only previous meeting, the South Africa Rhinos played against USA and Jamaica in 2011 in a World Cup qualifying tournament in New Jersey; USA winning that clash 40-4.

Both nations will only select players from their domestic competitions, and the hosts will be using the matches as trials for their participation in the inaugural 2025 World Series, which will see the final qualification places decided for the 2026 Rugby League World Cup.

“We are looking forward to an interesting and exciting competition,” commented SARL president Dr Frans Erasmus. “This tour is not only a historic milestone but also a crucial step in increasing awareness and development of rugby league in both South Africa and the United States.”

Rhinos coach, Fanie Bredenhann, added: “Having the opportunity to host the Hawks has created an exciting vibe among club coaches and players already, and they are a great help to scouting and development.”

With the USA Young Hawks having recently made their debut in the U19s European Championship, and the NRL and Super League announcing details of their latest trip to Las Vegas next March, this is a further building block for USARL. 

“This will provide more than just a game of rugby league for us, it underscores our commitment and dedication to the ongoing improvement and strategic advancement of our national programme,” said USARL chair, Matt Goschnick. “By fostering these opportunities it will help challenge, develop and grow players, teams, coaches, and support personnel which will elevate and enhance our domestic competitions, development pathways and competitiveness.”

Rutgerson, who played for South Africa in the 2000 World Cup, noted: “It's a great opportunity for us. We are working hard to build out our international calendar and this is a great start. We are looking forward to finishing the year on a high note.”