The NRL has produced a cheeky advertising campaign to hijack next week's Super Bowl, with giant billboards calling the Sydney Roosters 'world champions of football.'
Billboards have been put up in Atlanta, Georgia, home of next weekend's NFL Super Bowl, which takes aim at the US' tendency for labelling their premiership-winning sporting teams 'world champions'.
"Americans always claim their domestic league winners, whether it's NBA, MLB or NFL are the World Champions," NRL boss Todd Greenberg explained in a memo to staff.
"So, if they can make this claim, why can't we?
"It's a cheeky, fun way of kicking off our promotions for 2019."
The NRL is thought to be using them to help raise awareness of the NRL ahead of an expected push into the United States next year.
The billboard shows Boyd Cordner (showing off his premiership ring) with teammates James Tedesco and Latrell Mitchell along with the Roosters logo.
The news wasn't too well received in the UK, with Super League champions, the Wigan Warriors due to face the Roosters in the World Club Challenge next month.
The game is played between the NRL and Super League champions to determine the best club side in top-flight rugby league.
The Warriors responded to the NRL's billboards with a tweet with a photo from the Oscar-winning film Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri to thank the NRL for 'sorting their team talk'.
"Wigan Warriors are aware of the NRL 'world champion' billboard advertising campaign in Atlanta, USA, ahead of the Super Bowl LIII," the club said in a statement.
"No one at the Warriors will be making any premature predictions of who will be crowned World Club Challenge champions on Sunday 17th of February at the DWStadium and, as four-time World Club Challenge winners, Wigan Warriors look forward to welcoming the Sydney Roosters to the UK in a few weeks' time."
If the reigning winners of the World Club Challenge are considered the 'world champions,' then technically speaking, the Melbourne Storm should be the 'world champions.'
The New England Patriots face Los Angeles Rams at the Georgia Dome on February 4 in the Super Bowl.
Both teams met in the 2002 edition which the Patriots won 20-17.
Newshub.
Join us on February 4 (NZ time) for live updates of Super Bowl 2019 in Atlanta.
