While soccer may have gotten much of the international attention lately, PokerStars is looking to showcase a more physical game – rugby. Right now, the online poker giant is offering players their free shot at 36 packages to the PokerStars Sharks Barbecue and Poker Night, at which winners will be able to mingle with members of the Cronulla Sharks pro rugby team. Also present will be Team PokerStars Pro Tony Hachem, who will participate in the night’s poker festivities.

The action will take place at Chicago’s Toyota Park, which has been home to some of the best rugby played on American soil. Players from the Sharks will compete with winners in a poker tournament after the barbecue is complete.

The tournament’s roster of live prizes is pretty impressive. Among other things, competitors can win signed Cronulla Sharks jerseys and PokerStars chipsets. The grand prize will be an Australia New Zealand Poker Tour Package, giving the winner a shot at even more money and down-under prestige.

Daily qualifiers are running now and will continue every Monday through Saturday until August 21. The cost, you ask? There isn’t one. Each qualifier is a freeroll, kicking off at 7:30 AEST (5:30 ET), with the top 100 players earning seats in the Weekly Finals. Their will be a pair of Finals, both on Sundays – August 15 and 22, at the same hour as the qualifiers. The top 18 players from each Final will receive entry into the PokerStars Sharks Barbecue and Poker Night.

While none of the 36 prize packages include travel expenses, this is still a great opportunity to get some exposure to the international game.

Looking for the latest version of the PokerStars software? Check out our download page to grab this essential program. And don’t forget to enter the marketing code “flopturnriver” when signing up for an account, as well as the bonus code “STARSS600” when loading up your bankroll. Besides the standard 100% up to $600 first deposit bonus, these special keys will net you an additional $1,000 in monthly tournaments.