Rugby league fans were treated to a full day of action on Sunday as the NRL opened the 2025 season in Las Vegas. Here are the stories making headlines.
Match Results
In the opening fixture of the day, the Wigan Warriors defeated the Warrington Wolves 48-24. The Warriors were on top from the outset, scoring 42 unanswered points before the Wolves finally got on the scoreboard.
Then, the NRL season officially began with the Canberra Raiders playing the New Zealand Warriors. The Raiders won the match convincingly with a final scoreline of 30-8. Rising star Xavier Savage starred for the Raiders with two tries. Coach Ricky Stuart said afterwards: “We’ve had a really good pre-season, and I think that shows.”
The Jillaroos came within two points of breaking the side’s single-match scoring record of 92, beating England’s Lionesses 90-4. The Jillaroos completely dominated the English side, running in 17 tries, five of which belonged to fullback Tamika Upton. Play was paused early in the second half as England prop Vicky Whitfield was stretchered off the field after a brutal head knock with Australia’s Sarah Togatuki.
Finally, four-time defending champions the Penrith Panthers beat the Cronulla Sharks 28-22 in a closely fought match. The Sharks were within a try with two minutes to go but were unable to force the match into overtime with a try. The result showed that even without playmaker Jarome Luai and hard-charging forward James Fisher-Harris, Penrith will still be one of the teams to beat this year.
Warriors coach under investigation
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New Zealand Warriors assistant coach Richard Agar is being investigated by the NRL’s integrity unit following an incident during the Warriors match against the Raiders. Agar is reported to have grabbed English journalist John Davidson at half-time.
Warriors CEO Cameron George said in a statement: "Post-game I was made aware of an alleged incident at half-time involving assistant coach Richard Agar and an English journalist John Davidson from The Guardian. This morning I had the opportunity to speak with the NRL Integrity Unit. They are working through their process which will include us.”
Talks of reducing the number of games
ARLC boss Peter V’landys told AAP that the number of games may be reduced from four to three next year to encourage spectators to stay for the whole duration of the event. According to reports, the attendance in Allegiant Stadium peaked at over 45,000 but a significant number left before the final match between the Panthers and Sharks. V’landys said: "We're looking at three next year [because of the] length of day and fans leaving after their teams played."
What’s next?
Round 1 of the NRL will resume on Thursday night when the Sydney Roosters play the Brisbane Broncos.
