South Sydney officials compared it to grand final week after more than 2000 fans paid to watch the Rabbitohs train at Wigan on Wednesday.
Souths players even received a louder cheer than their Wigan counterparts when the two teams ran onto the field at the Orrell performance centre for an opposed session ahead of their separate World Club Series matches this weekend, while the demand for autographs and photos afterwards delayed the Rabbitohs arrival at another function for 320 junior players at St Helens by 60 minutes.
Fans at Orrell paid a £3 entry fee to watch the session and Rugby Football League officials said that more than 800 tickets had been pre-booked, while there was a massive walk up of supporters - many wearing Souths jerseys.
A store in Wigan selling NRL merchandise, Down Under Leisure, reported selling 35 Rabbitoh jerseys the previous day.
"To see so many South Sydney shirts was surprising and to see so much support for our team in England is great," English prop George Burgess said. "The reception we got when we walked out was just brilliant and hopefully we can see a lot of those fans turn up on Sunday."
With the match at Langtree Park having sold out more than four weeks ago, that is unlikely but Wigan coach Shaun Wane made it clear where the allegiances of most Wiganers would be when asked if he would be supporting St Helens against an Australian team.
"Next question," Wane said.
Such is the rivalry between the two great Lancashire clubs that a St Helens official pretended to spit on the ground when told the Souths players had been delayed at Wigan.
Both clubs have added motivation to win their respective matches against the Rabbitohs and Broncos as they don't want to concede bragging rights if they lost to an Australian team and the other won.
But supporters of both teams couldn't get enough of the Rabbitohs players as they posed for photos with their NRL heroes and thrust anything from a note book to a jersey at them to sign. Souths officials compared the scenes to those when they trained at Redfern before last year's historic grand final win over Canterbury.
"I have heard people say there are lots of Souths fans in England with us lads playing there and it is great to see all the red and green shirts around England," Thomas Burgess said.
Souths hooker Issac Luke said: "I guess South Sydney has been broadcast across the world and we have got a lot of fans and members throughout the world. We had a bit of support at Wigan training today and that was unreal, but at the same time it is quite humbling."
As an indication of how serious the Rabbitohs are treating the club's first shot at becoming world club champions, coach Michael Maguire spent 45 minutes with the players studying video of Saints, while fans sat in the stands waiting to see them in the flesh.
The opposed session was played with intensity by both teams, with one Souths player clearly heard to yell: "Dave Tyrrell, put him on the f--king deck:"
On another occasion, Wigan hooker Michael McIlorum glared at new Rabbitohs recruit Glenn Stewart after a high tackle and centre Dan Sarginson played like he was auditioning for an NRL contract.
At the end of the session, both teams received a loud round of applause as fans waited around to get autographs and photos.
"As soon as I was born I wanted to be a Rabbitohs supporter. My dad is a big Rabbitohs fan," said eight-year-old Harry Wainwright, who was wearing a Souths jersey he had owned for several years. "Greg Inglis is my favourite player. We are going to wait around and ask him to sign my jersey."
Inglis was the most popular player and as soon as he finished training, a giant scrum formed around him.
"I used to like Sam Burgess before he moved [to rugby union] but it is Greg Inglis now," said 13-year-old Emily James.
Josh De Burgh, 12, said: "Over here I like Wigan but my favourite Australian team is Souths. I watch Sam Tomkins play in the NRL but the [Burgess] twins are probably my favourites."
