PICTURES: Incredible Wire scenes at the Fremont Street NRL Fan Fest in Las Vegas
THE Warrington Wolves experience in Las Vegas went up another notch on Thursday night.
Rugby League fans from across the world, including the primrose and blue Barmy Army, rammed into Fremont Street to get up close and personal with the players, coaches and backroom teams of all sides involved in all four of Saturday's matches at the Allegiant Stadium.
Sam Burgess and his troops must have felt like Hollywood film stars as they received an incredible showbiz reception and high-fived their way through the highly-excited bulging crowd in Sin City's bright lights.
Even Wolfie was able to join in the fun. Good to see he was able to secure his US visa! Lots more pictures from the event are in the gallery above. (Image: Alex Whitehead/SWpix.com)
Fremont Street - That was incredible 🤩 pic.twitter.com/dF7QLkTiAI
— Warrington Wolves (@WarringtonRLFC) February 28, 2025
And then The Wire were introduced on stage, with Burgess and Paul Vaughan getting the chance to speak to the thousands upon thousands in attendance.
This is certainly a Wire match week like no other and the scene continues to be set for an incredible clash with reigning champions Wigan Warriors for two Super League points on Saturday, kick-off 9.30pm UK time.
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Yahoo
7 hours ago
- Yahoo
Matt Dufty injury latest as Burgess confirms his full-back replacement
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Yahoo
19 hours ago
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Warrington Wolves' full-back options assessed - who could replace Dufty?
Stefan Ratchford is among the options to replace the injured Matt Dufty at full-back (Image: Paul Currie/ AS they pick up their Super League campaign again, Warrington Wolves will do so with a fresh injury to a key player. Full-back Matt Dufty fractured his eye socket during Saturday's Challenge Cup Final defeat following a head-on-head collision with Hull KR's James Batchelor, who received a Grade C head contact charge and five penalty points as a result. Advertisement After the game, Sam Burgess said they would be without the Australian for 'a while,' with a further update on his condition expected this afternoon when Burgess addresses the media to preview the trip to Leeds Rhinos this weekend. Matt Dufty is treated for the injury he suffered at Wembley (Image: Allan McKenzie/ At the very least, The Wire can plan to be without Dufty for the game at Headingley, which brings about the question of how he will be replaced. The waters are muddied given youngster Cai Taylor-Wray, who has established himself as Dufty's understudy, is also injured – he tore his hamstring playing for the reserves back in April and is not expected to play again this season. Oli Leyland also has history of playing at full-back but his season is also over having suffered an ACL injury, meaning Burgess' options have narrowed. Advertisement Below, we look at some of the potential solutions he could opt for… STEFAN RATCHFORD The veteran utility man replaced Dufty for the latter stages at Wembley having been named on the bench primarily as half-back and centre cover given George Williams and Toby King's fragility as they returned from injury. Simply drafting him in from the start would cause the least disruption to other areas of the team in terms of selection – he would simply move from the bench to the starting side, with Max Wood then seemingly favourite to take his interchange spot. Full-back has been his most common position during his long Warrington career – of his 351 appearances for the club, more than half (182) have seen him start in the number one shirt. Advertisement However, the last of those starts at the back came nearly three years ago during a 35-22 defeat at Castleford Tigers in July 2022. Stefan Ratchford could slot into full-back having played extensively in the halves during 2025 in George Williams' absence (Image: Paul Currie/ JOSH THEWLIS Another option could be moving Josh Thewlis into the position many had earmarked him for long-term as he became an established first-teamer. As recently as the start of last year, the expectation was that Thewlis was next in line for the club's number one jersey, but Dufty's resurgence in form and the emergence of Taylor-Wray through the academy means his future is set to lie on the wing. Advertisement However, he remains a natural full-back and would no doubt relish the prospect of more time in a position he is still keen to play in. Moving Thewlis to full-back would create an opening on the right wing, which would likely be filled by either his younger brother Jake or Connor Wrench, who made two bright appearances against Wakefield and Hull KR having recovered from his second ACL injury in as many years. His last start at full-back came in June 2023 during a 22-6 defeat to Leeds Rhinos at The Halliwell Jones Stadium. Wembley try-scorer Josh Thewlis spent his academy and early first-team career at full-back before moving to the wing (Image: Simon Wilkinson/ FLYNN HOLDEN No doubt the most left-field and unlikely option, but could Burgess put his faith in a youngster who has been in fine form for the academy and reserves? Advertisement Livewire full-back Flynn Holden has been a key part of flying starts to the season for both sides, scoring 10 tries in 11 appearances to date. He would be making his senior debut should he be given the nod and given the more experienced options available, the likelihood is he may have to wait but Burgess has shown his willingness to put faith in the club's young talent – even this year, Holden's teammates Ewan Irwin and Zack Gardner have made their first-team debuts.
Associated Press
a day ago
- Associated Press
Black sports trailblazer Billy Boston, 90, becomes rugby league's first knight
Billy Boston, who blazed a trail for Black sportspeople in Britain during the 1950s and '60s, became the first rugby league player to receive a knighthood in a special ceremony at Buckingham Palace on Tuesday. The 90-year-old Boston was given his knighthood at an investiture ahead of the official announcement of King Charles' birthday honors this week. It was brought forward amid concerns for Boston's health, Britain's Press Association reported. Born in the Welsh capital Cardiff, Boston is one of the greatest players in the history of rugby league, the 13-man code that split 130 years ago from the more widely played 15-a-side rugby union. He played 488 times for Wigan from 1953-68 and finished his career with a British-record haul of 571 tries. He also became the first Black player to represent Britain on the Lions tour Down Under in 1954, scoring 36 tries in 18 appearances in Australia and New Zealand, and featured in a total of 31 international test matches. British Prime Minister Keir Starmer described Boston as a 'true trailblazer who's contributed hugely to rugby league.' 'Boston is a legend of the game who overcame prejudice to represent Great Britain and opened the door to a more diverse game,' added Starmer, who wrote personally to Boston to congratulate him. 'He's left a truly enduring legacy and the first knighthood in rugby league could not go to a more deserving player.' Boston's honor came after a sustained campaign by local councillors and lawmakers as well as leading figures in rugby league, who have frequently pointed out the relative lack of recognition for the code — played largely in the north of England — compared to rugby union, which has seen 20 knights anointed. 'It is a historic wrong,' Starmer said, 'that a sport which is the backbone of so many communities has waited so long to receive this honor.' Wigan owner Mike Danson said he was 'thrilled' by Boston's award, describing it as 'a richly deserved honor which means this most humble of men rightly receives, at last, fitting recognition for his extraordinary efforts.' Boston, whose father was from west African country Sierra Leone, has been living with dementia. ___ AP sports:
