Former Salford Red Devils man Daniel Vidot has inspired the USA to victory over South Africa in a historic match.
The United States travelled to South Africa for the very first time, and are having a two-game series for IRL world ranking points.
Memorably for the Hawks, World Cup qualifiers in 2011 saw them defeat South Africa 40-4 on home soil in a game refereed by former Super League referee Richard Silverwood.
This time around, the USA saw another former Red Devil, Sean Rutgerson, as the side’s coach.
Another former Super League man featuring was Peter Lupton, who captained the nation for the first time.
Lupton featured for Leeds Rhinos at loose forward in an academy Grand Final victory over rivals Bradford Bulls but started his Super League career with London Broncos.
He then went on to play for Hull FC, Castleford Tigers and Crusaders in the top flight, meaning he played 176 games, scoring 37 times.
Former Salford Red Devils man inspires nation to historic victory
Credit: Alex Whitehead/SWpix.com
Vidot, who scored six tries in just ten games in his short time with Salford Red Devils, scored his first try for the United States in a 38-18 win for his side in Pretoria.
He moved to the States in 2018 to pursue a career in WWE, and since he has been there for six years, qualifies for the country due to International Rugby League’s five-year residency rule.
Previously, he played for Canberra Raiders, St. George Illawarra and Brisbane Broncos in NRL, and was particularly prolific with the Raiders from the wing.
The former Samoa international’s was the opening try against South Africa, after just six minutes, while winger Andre Williams scored a hat-trick on his own USA debut.
The second and final game of the series will be played on Saturday.
The series is part of South Africa’s preparations for bidding for the 2030 World Cup as they aim to show themselves on the global stage.
