Harlequins, on the 30th August, will face the US Eagles in Philadelphia as part of the Eagles warm up for the World Cup in September.
The Eagles played in Philadelphia before in 2013 at PPL Park, the home of Major League Soccer side Philadelphia Union. They came up against a travelling Maori All Blacks side, losing 29-19 in front of a sell-out 18,500 crowd.
The Eagles only a year later came up against the full New Zealand side playing at Soldier Field in Chicago, despite losing 74-6, they did so in front of huge crowd of 61,500.
The game will take place at the same time as the scheduled game between Leicester Tigers and NRFL Rough Riders. The Rough Riders being a side set up in order to encourage college and NFL football players to rugby.
Chairman and Chief Executive of USA Rugby Nigel Melville has stated that the game is an ‘exciting opportunity for both sides’.
“Philadelphia is truly a rugby hotbed and we are excited to be back,” he said.
In addition to this Harlequins Chief Executive David Ellis has said that ‘Harlequins is a globally recognised club, and this match will help drive our global ambitions. Rugby in the USA is a sleeping giant and we are looking forward to being a part of this unique occasion’.
Furthermore USA Rugby is also looking into the possibility of launching a professional club competition before the 2019 World Cup. The competition would be built upon a talent pool of players from the increasingly growing and exceptionally talented college scene.
Melville has commented on this stating ‘We’re talking to investors… We’ve still got some way to go but it’s closer to reality than it ever has been’.
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