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Rugby has long been trying to tap into the American market and with a World Cup in 2031 on the horizon, it’s imperative it makes a dent in a crowded sporting market.
Rugby has long been trying to tap into the American market and with a World Cup in 2031 on the horizon, it’s imperative it makes a dent in a crowded sporting market.
The sport's sister code, rugby league, took Super League to Las Vegas earlier this month in a bid to grow the game's global reach.
Our 15-aside-code has now followed suit with England announcing this week that they'll visit the USA’s capital to conclude their summer tour.
The fixture will take place at 20,000-capacity Audi Field with Steve Borthwick's side currently ranked nine places higher in the world than the hosts.
Lawrence wrestles back momentum with USA purple patch
The decision to hold the 2031 showpiece event across the pond received an abundance of backlash given the US failed to qualify for the 2023 edition and emerging nations like Spain, Italy and Argentina were denied a chance at hosting, while 1995 remains the only time record winners South Africa have hosted.
Since their disastrous World Cup qualifying exit, matters have improved for Scott Lawrence's side though, securing statement wins over Tonga, Spain and Portugal in November.
Bristol Bears fly-half, AJ MacGinty, remains the teams's catalyst but at 35 isn't getting any younger, while fans of the Premiership will be familiar with 25-year-old USA hooker, Kapeli Pifileti, who impressed while at Saracens.
England's previous fixture against USA was their 43-29 triumph in 2021 and they have won all nine meetings.
Red Rose follow in the footsteps of other tier one nations
Bringing top-tier sides to the country is part of the organisers' strategy to grow the game ahead of both the 2031 men's tournament and 2033 women's showpiece event.
New Zealand and Ireland will meet in Chicago on November 1 in a repeat of a famous 2018 encounter at Soldier Field that saw a first ever Irish win over the All Blacks.
While, Scotland won 42-7 against the United States at the same venue in Washington last summer and New Zealand beat Fij 47-5 last summer in front of over 33,000 fans in San Diego.
Participation in the sport is growing rapidly with USA Youth and High School Rugby celebrating a milestone of over 50,000 registrations last year.
With a large English expat population, organisers will be confident of a sell out with the 2003 World Cup winners remaining one of the biggest draws in World Rugby.