NRL stars sell footy to Americans on one of the USA's top-rating shows - but one BIG problem proves they have a massive job ahead of them

The NRL has landed in Las Vegas with Aussie superstars Aaron Woods and Campbell Graham appearing on the halftime coverage of an NFL match - but some Americans are calling the sport 'rugby'.

A group of NRL stars joined by NRL CEO Andrew Abdo attended a game between the Las Vegas Raiders and Minnesota Vikings as part of the NRL's drive to sell rugby league to the USA before four clubs open the 2024 season.

Manly will clash with Souths before Brisbane take on the Roosters in Sin City on March 3 next year in a groundbreaking start to the season.

In a major coup for the NRL, the double header in March will be shown in prime time in the US via the Fox network.

It represents a priceless opportunity for the sport to attract new fans, and will also mark the first time NRL round matches have been staged outside Australia or New Zealand.

Stars Aaron Woods, Campbell Graham, Spencer Leniu and Billy Walters travelled to the States for the official launch, with Woods and Graham making it onto Fox Sports' top-rating coverage of the match during the halftime break.

However, Fox hosts Mark Sanchez and Kevin Kugler both referred to the sport as 'rugby' in the introduction to the halftime segment, and presenter Laura Okmin repeatedly followed suit when interviewing Woods and Graham.

The live interview was beamed live to millions of NFL viewers across the country, as the sport looks to make a dent in the US market - but the segment was proof that making a dent in Americans' inability to distinguish rugby union from rugby league is going to be a very hard task.

'I think Americans love the collisions in sport, and Vegas is the entertainment capital,' Woods said during the halftime interview.

'We want to bring the main game from Australia that we love doing back home.

'There are no helmets, there are no pads and we're just in there making collisions and getting the fans pumped up like they are today.'

A new-look Steeden with stars and stripes has been prepared for the match, with an action-packed highlights package to be used in advertising  in the States for the next few months.

'We're just going to try to get out there and bash each other,' Graham said.

'We want to come out here and entertain, and I think we have the product to do that.

'I'm really looking forward to coming back in March and putting on a show.'

Okmin then asked Woods Woods about the controversial 'tush push' play that's made a huge impact since being introduced to the NFL by the Philadelphia Eagles.

It's often been compared to a 'rugby scrum' by US fans and commentators, and Okmin used those terms when she asked the Aussies about it during their interview.

'We'd call it a rugby league scrum,' said Woods. 'But you can't push and you cant have the ball at the back.'