The Aviva Premiership is going on tour
The Aviva Premiership fixtures are set to be released this Friday, with the season scheduled to begin on the 2nd of September.
There is however, one fixture already set in stone for the 16th of September, when the Newcastle Falcons take on Saracens in the second ever Aviva Premiership fixture to take place on American soil.
The match will be played in Philadelphia’s Talen Stadium, with Newcastle acting as the ‘home’ side, hosting the two time European Champions. This will be Saracens’ second visit after London Irish hosted them at the Red Bull Arena in New Jersey on March 12, 2016. The match is part of a deal between global sports and live entertainment company AEG and NBC Sports that will run for four years in an attempt to grow the sport in the States.
Whilst northern hemisphere fans will undoubtedly be excited for the innovative fixture, the players also seem to be enthusiastic about the change of scenery.
Speaking to Premiership Rugby, new signing for the Newcastle Falcons and former England international Toby Flood said: “Everyone will be busting a gut to get on this trip because it is a chance to experience something completely different.
“That is why we play the game, to experience these unique events, and hopefully it is something we will grasp with both hands.” Alluding to the fact that it will be an opportunity for the squad to bond he said “We will be there from Monday onwards and spend a lot of time on the training pitch, then in the hotel, we will have all our meals together, we will probably go to one or two museums.”
Saracens CEO, Heath Harvey, is hoping for a sell out crowd at The Talen Energy Stadium, home to the Philadelphia Union of Major League Soccer.
“Last year was a terrific start,” Harvey told the Aviva Premiership website earlier this year. “I thought the crowd was a decent size for the first game and I expect we will sell 18,500 tickets and fill the stadium”,
Philadelphia is perhaps not the easiest of locations for rugby to break ground, with the city already having such a strong affinity with its local sports teams, from the NFL’s Eagles to the 76ers and Phillies. Their fans are known for their robust, verging on hostile approach to following their sides, having on one particular occasion both booed and thrown snowballs at Santa Claus.
If rugby were to take hold in the city in any meaningful way it would no doubt be an interesting atmosphere.
The picturesque stadium in Philadelphia where Newcastle Falcons will take on @Saracens in September #AvivaPrem pic.twitter.com/4u9HqAcA6k
— Falcons News (@falcons_news16) May 19, 2017
The US itself has made massive progress in recent years. This past weekend the Eagles qualified for the first time in the “America’s One” slot for the 2019 Rugby World Cup, beating Canada by 52 points to 16, itself a record winning margin. It was something of a changing of the guard moment, as conversely it was also the first time Canada did not qualify in the top spot.
Comments on RugbyPass
We’re building a bridge but can't agree where the river is.
2 Go to commentsfirst no arms shoulder or helmet tackle into his rib cage is going to be so very painful even to watch. go back to RU mate.
1 Go to commentsBulls by 5. Plus another 50.
3 Go to commentsJohan Goosen avatar. Cute. Surely someone at RP knows how to do a google image search?
3 Go to commentsCan’t these games play a little earlier? Asking for a friend.
3 Go to commentsIt’s impressive that we can see huge stadiums with attendance in the 40 000 to 50 000 region. It shows how popular this competition is becoming. What is even more impressive is the massive growth in broadcast viewership. The URC is one of the two best leagues in the World, the other being the Top14.
7 Go to commentsChristie is not Sottish, like the majority of the Scotland team.
2 Go to commentsHold the phone, decline over-rated. Is it a one game, dead cat bounce or the real thing? Has the Penney dropped? Stay tuned.
45 Go to commentsTotally deserved win for the Crusaders Far smarter than the Chiefs who seem to be avoiding the basics when it matters Hotham showed them what was missing and Hannah seems a real find - a tad light but that can be fixed over time
8 Go to commentsGreat insight into the performance culture with Sarries and I predict Christie will be a fixture in the Scotland team now for some time to come. However, he is slightly missing his own point around Scotland “being soft” when he cites physicality examples in defence of that slight. The issue is much closer to the example he referenced around feeling off before a game but being told “it doesn’t matter, you can still play well” by Farrell. Until Scotland can get their psyche in that square, they will carry on folding under extreme pressure…
2 Go to comments> We are having to adapt, evolve and innovate more than when we were in Super Rugby where there was only really one style that everybody had to play to gain the most success. Have = able to? Interesting what that one style might be? I thought SA sides still had bad tours now, or at least bad schedule, months away? Those extra few hours flights have to be a killer though, no surprise to see their sides doing so badly at the start of the season each year. I wouldn’t enjoy that unfairness as a supporter.
7 Go to commentsThe problem for NZ, and Aus, is they ripped up the SR model and lost a massive chunk of revenue that hasn’t been replaced. Don’t forget SA clubs went North because they were left with no choice, Argy unceremoniously binned and Japan cast adrift. Now SR wasn’t perfect, far from it, but they’ve jumped into something without an effective plan, so far, to replace what they’ve lost. The biggest revenue potential now lies in Japan but it won’t be easy or quick to unlock, they are incredibly insular in culture as a nation. In the meantime, there is a serious time bomb sitting under SH rugby and if it happens then the current financial challenges will look like a picnic. IF the Boks follow their provincial teams and head north then it’s revenue meltdown. Not guaranteed to happen but the status quo is a very odd hybrid, with the Boks pointing one way and the clubs pointing the other way. And for as long as that remains then the threat is real.
45 Go to commentsI think Etene has had some good tuition, likely while at the Warriors to be a professional that helped his rugby jump, but he was certainly thrown in the deep end way too early. Should have arguably 20 less SR caps, and therefor a way better record that he does at his age, but his development would have been fast tracked by the need to satiate his signing away from league. Again, credit to him and others that he has done it so well. Easy to fall over under that pressure in the big leagues like that but he kept at it when I myself wasn’t sure he was good enough.
1 Go to commentsAwesome story. I wonder what a bigger American (SA) scene might have mean for Brex.
1 Go to comments“Johnny McNicholl and the Crusaders” save a Penney. Who has been in camp this week and showed them how to play?
8 Go to commentsSo, reports of the Crusaders’ demise / terminal decline are perhaps just - slightly - premature/exaggerated…? 🤔 Will we see a deep-dive into that by the estimable Rugbypass scribes, and maybe one or two mea culpas? Thought not.
8 Go to comments1. The Chiefs are rudderless without DMac, which enhances his AB chances 2. Chiefs pack are powderpuffs. The hard men arent there anymore 3. They had their golden title chance last yr and wont threaten this yr. Gone in second round of playoffs.
8 Go to commentsHonestly, why did you have to publish such a foolish article the day they play us? 😂
45 Go to comments> They are not standalone entities. They are linked to an amateur association which holds the FFR licence that allows the professional side to compete in the league. That’s a great rule. This looks like the chicken or egg professional scenario. How long is it going to be before the club can break even (if that is even a thing in French rugby)? If the locals aren’t into well it would be good to se them drop to amateur level (is it that far?). Hope they can reset from this level and be more practical, there will be a time when they can rebuild (if France has there setup right).
1 Go to commentsWhat about changing the ball? To something heavier and more pointed that bounces unpredictably. Not this almost round football used these days.
35 Go to comments