A proposed August game between Leicester and the NRFL Rough Riders, a team that was set to include overseas professionals and American converts from college and professional football, has been cancelled.
The game, which was scheduled to be played at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia on 8 August, has not received the necessary sanction from USA Rugby, the governing body of the American game. Tickets for the game had been on sale.
In a statement to the Guardian, USA Rugby chief executive Nigel Melville said: “In order to sanction the proposed game USA Rugby require the teams to be in good standing with their respective unions. The Rough Riders are not a USA Rugby registered team and their players are not registered USA Rugby players. If they were we would sanction the game.”
In a statement on his club’s website, Leicester chief executive Simon Cohen said: “Rugby is a rapidly growing game in the USA and the appearance of the Leicester Tigers would certainly have helped to create a buzz around the sport, together with NRFL’s proposals for a professional game there.
“It is very disappointing that a fixture which would help to launch professional club rugby in the United States should be blocked by a national governing body charged with the development and growth of the game in their own country.
“Our experience in this case could lead you to question whether USA Rugby is more keen to protect its own commercial interests than to serve and promote the game of rugby as a whole in their country. That is extremely disappointing in a sport keen to expand its appeal throughout the world.”
Leicester advised supporters who had bought tickets for the match or made travel plans to contact their customer services team.
A statement from Rugby Law, the Minnesota-based company behind the National Rugby Football League project which is run by businessmen Michael Clements and George Robertson, said: “Rugby Law is disappointed by the decision to not provide permission for the Rough Riders versus Leicester Tigers game.
“We are also surprised, as we have been keeping USA Rugby well informed, starting with Nigel Melville being the first we presented to in 2010.”
The statement added: “We are gratified and complimented that our partners, including the Leicester Tigers (and many others in the international world of rugby), have kept faith with us and indicate that they look forward to carrying through at a future date with a game or two in the USA.”
Rugby Law, which had engaged the former New Zealand second row Ali Williams to captain the Rough Riders team, is still scheduled to stage a game between another Aviva Premiership team, Saracens, and the development team of the Crusaders Super 15 franchise at the Mercedes Benz Superdome in New Orleans on 1 August.
In his statement, Melville said: “In the case of Saracens v Crusaders we have agreed to sanction the game provided that the Superdome in New Orleans meets the World Rugby Regulation 22 for artificial surfaces and we understand that the appropriate testing is underway.”
The NRFL project has been extant for two years, with Rugby Law having hosted talent combines in Minnesota and Los Angeles as it looks to create a professional league. It has not yet fielded a team.
Amidst growing British interest in US rugby, another Premiership team is due to play in Philadelphia this summer – Harlequins will face the US national team, the Eagles, in a World Cup warm-up at PPL Park on 30 August. Last month it was reported that London Irish are looking to bring regular-season Premiership games to New York. The Eagles are also scheduled to play Australia at Soldier Field in Chicago – the scene of their defeat by the All Blacks last November – on 5 September.
USA Rugby is also looking to launch a professional league, in its case before the 2019 World Cup in Japan.
In February, Melville told the Guardian: “We’re talking to investors. We’ve still got some way to go but it’s closer to reality than it ever has been.”
