Ireland’s USA Test To Reach Huge American Audience
Ireland’s opening match of the summer against the USA Eagles will be televised live to a huge American audience on NBC Sports. The match kicks off at 5pm local time/10pm Irish time on Saturday, June 10.
NBC Sports will cover the Test live Stateside on NBCSN, NBCSports.com and the NBC Sports app. It will be the first time international rugby has graced the Red Bull Arena since the 2010 Churchill Cup finals were held there.
No details have been confirmed as yet of television coverage in Ireland.
Ireland and the USA Eagles last met in Houston in June 2013 when a young Ireland team, captained by Peter O’Mahony, and featuring Robbie Henshaw on his debut, beat the American side 15-12.
Both nations were part of history during last November’s ‘The Rugby Weekend’ when over 80,000 faithful rugby fans travelled the globe to view two international matches in Chicago.
As part of ‘The Rugby Weekend’, the USA hosted the Maori All Blacks in front of a sold-out crowd of 18,007 in Toyota Park and Ireland defeated New Zealand for the first time in 111 years, watched by a record-setting, Irish-dominated crowd of 62,300.
“We are pleased to partner with NBC Sports Group on the live presentation of this match,” said Dan Payne, Chief Executive Officer of USA Rugby. “NBC’s continued commitment toward providing rugby coverage in the United States is a very important partnership that contributes to the overall awareness of the game in our country, as is the return of the fourth-ranked nation of Ireland to our shores.”
Gary Quinn, VP, Programming NBC Sports Group, commented: “We’re excited to add the Emirates Airline Summer Series to our growing portfolio of high-profile international rugby coverage. We’re proud to partner with USA Rugby and TLA Worldwide to present an international Test match to a national audience on NBCSN for a fourth consecutive year, as the sport of rugby continues to expand its footprint in the United States.”
The Eagles come into their summer series, which also includes a clash with Georgia, on a four-match winning streak, having won the second annual Americas Rugby Championship in March. John Mitchell’s squad will be facing tier 1 opposition, in Ireland, for the first time since last June’s narrow 24-20 loss to Italy in San Jose.
Limited tickets are still available via Ticketmaster for the USA v Ireland match at Red Bull Arena, starting at $25 plus transaction fees.