Six Nations USA plan floated by World Rugby chief as IRFU issue response

World Rugby’s supremo believes the staging of South Africa v New Zealand in Baltimore this weekend could pave the way for a Six Nations match to be played in the United States.

While such a fixture would generate massive financial benefits, it would be a hugely controversial move for rugby’s oldest running international championship.

The decision to play a Six Nations fixture in the US would lie with the Six Nations committee and the concept of taking a prestigious match to America will be thrown into sharp focus on Saturday when South Africa and New Zealand meet in Baltimore in the final Test of the Rugby’s Greatest Rivalry series.

Scotland captain Sione Tuipulotu leads his team out ahead of a Six Nations match against Ireland earlier this year. | SNS Group / SRU

A 71,000 sell-out crowd is expected at the M&T Bank Stadium and Alan Gilpin, the chief executive of World Rugby, views the match as a bellwether for future games across the Atlantic.

“In terms of the match-day economics, it is like a Six Nations match,” Gilpin told the Daily Telegraph. “It starts to show that [financial return] is not the barrier. So if there is the appetite to take some of these big matches in the future to the US, we can now.”

The potential for growing rugby in the US has long been touted and America has been selected as the host nation for the men’s Rugby World Cup in 2031 and the women’s tournament in 2033.

Ireland played New Zealand in Chicago in 2016 and again last year, with each match attracting a 62,000 capacity crowd. Gilpin cited Ireland versus Italy as an example of a Six Nations game that could prove a major success in the US.

IRFU chief ‘put on the spot’

“I’ve used the example before and probably put Kevin Potts [IRFU chief executive] on the spot a little bit, but only as an example,” Gilpin said. “This isn’t a live discussion of an Italy vs Ireland game. But why we use that as an example is because you’ve got two fantastic fan bases in the US of Irish and Italian fans.

“If you could take a Six Nations game to the right place, to a Boston or to a New York, where there’s a lot of those fanbases, you can definitely drive the economics.”

While the concept of taking a Six Nations game to the US is being driven by financial imperatives, it is unlikely to play well with Scottish supporters or businesses. The championship is worth millions of pounds every year to Scotland’s economy.

However, with inflated ticket prices, increased sponsorship opportunities and potential new TV markets, the US is a hugely lucrative sports market. This summer’s football World Cup was a massive commercial success and Scotland supporters flocked to Boston where they established a rapport with the locals.

Ireland confirmed last year that they intend to play a Test in the United States every year up to the 2031 World Cup but the IRFU says it has not held talks about playing a Six Nations game in the States.

An IRFU spokesman said: “The United States is an important growth market for rugby and we welcome and embrace initiatives that help introduce the sport to new audiences and, crucially, generate new revenues for the game.

“There are currently no plans or discussions, from an IRFU perspective, regarding Six Nations matches being played in the United States.”

Scottish Rugby and the Six Nations have been approached for comment.