Few previous attempts, if any, to break out of the sport's traditional northern-England bubble have felt quite as significant as this.
Elvis Presley's Las Vegas performances earned him the nickname the "atomic-powered singer". Karl Fitzpatrick, Warrington chief executive, appeared to channel the phrase when he said: "We are bringing the atomic-powered sport to Vegas, with our gladiators ready to steal the show." There is a ready-made platform for Super League, the top tier of British rugby league, to capitalise on after Australia's National Rugby League (NRL) attracted a crowd of more than 45,000 for its double-header in Las Vegas's Allegiant Stadium in March.
Wigan and Warrington will open a four-game festival of rugby league on Saturday 1 March next year, with the first Super League fixture to take place in the US.
The NRL double-header of Canberra v New Zealand Warriors and VI Penrith v Cronulla will then take place, with a women's Test between England and Australia also on the bill.
Wigan and Warrington played an exhibition fixture in Milwaukee in 1989 but this, with competition points at stake in a globally renowned entertainment city, feels like a bigger moment for the sport.
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