LAS VEGAS — Scott Penn has had a vision for about a decade now, and this week represents a critical window into that vision.
Penn is the owner and chairman of the National Rugby League’s Manly Sea Eagles, who play the South Sydney Rabbitohs in the first of two matches being played Saturday at Allegiant Stadium.
This is the first of a five-year commitment the NRL has made to play matches in the U.S.
Penn is a native of Sydney whose wife is a native New Yorker and he lives with her in New York City — DUMBO to be exact.
And Penn, who purchased his home club Manly in 2004, has long fancied bringing rugby to America.
“We’ve always eyed the U.S. as a future opportunity,’’ Penn told The Post. “The game is incredible shape in Australia. It’s got the highest viewership of any sport in Australia. It’s now highly profitable as a league and we’ve got more opportunities ahead of us. So now we can start to look ahead at investing internationally, how we grow the game internationally — not necessarily in participation terms, but from a viewership point of view.
“We know that we are perfectly placed in the U.S. because anyone who’s an NFL fan in the U.S. is devoid of their content from March to September, so our season is a perfect time frame to give the U.S. football fans — or gladiatorial fans if you like —- some content whilst they’re waiting for the NFL season to come back.
“So, I genuinely think we’ve got a huge opportunity to not only gain interest and awareness but a loyal following.’’
Penn said his wife, Nicole, “is a passionate Giants fan and hasn’t had a lot to cheer about in recent times but is forever hopeful.’’
He called himself a life-long 49ers fan since the Joe Montana, Jerry Rice days and has become friendly with Al Guido, the current 49ers president, who’ll be joining him in the owner’s suite for the match on Saturday.
“I definitely think there are going to be some goosebumps,’’ Penn said of the moment he watches his team take the field at Allegiant Stadium, where the Super Bowl was just played. “I’ll be sitting there incredibly proud, definitely nervous because it’s the first game of the season and very focused that there’s no injuries.
“This is something that I have been pushing for for about 10 years now with the league to encourage them to invest further in this market,’’ Penn continued. “We know what a passionate sporting population America is, and I’ve always felt that NRL would play well here.’’
One of Manly’s top players, Daly Cherry-Evans, conceded that playing in America in a league here is an attractive thought, like former European soccer stars finishing their careers playing Major League Soccer in the States.
“If Scott (Penn) wants to get it rolling, I’m happy,” Cherry-Evans said when asked about reports he was being sought to play for a Penn-owned American franchise. “I obviously don’t have a heap of time left my rugby league career and I’m loving what’s happening with Manly at the moment. But, I’m very open-minded about contract stuff and where my career might end up.
“It’s nice for the owner of my current club pushing for an American opportunity and that’s an easy transition for me, isn’t it?”
Cherry-Evans said an American league would be popular with Australian players.
“It depends on your family situation, right?” he said. “If you’ve got a super-young family that might be a tricky move whereas for me right now, I’ve got kids in primary school so it wouldn’t be a bad time to go and see the world, would it? I’m sure the single boys wouldn’t mind getting over here as well.”
Tickets for the NRL matches are available and can be purchased through Ticketmaster, with the prices starting as low as $19 — a far cry from the lowest face-value price of a Super Bowl ticket last month ($950). Seats in the lower tier start from $39 and go up to $189 for club seats. Allegiant Stadium has a capacity of 65,000 and about 35,000 seats have been sold, according to reports.
This marks the first time in the NRL’s 116-year history that a season opener will be played for premiership points outside of Australia or New Zealand. The first of the two matches begins at 9:30 p.m. Eastern time and can be seen on “Watch NRL,’’ a streaming App.
The doubleheader will be shown in the US on FS1.