The British and Irish Lions are considering a warm-up match in the United States en route to touring New Zealand in 2017.
John Feehan, the Lions' chief executive, insists no firm decision has yet been taken but confirmed the US had tendered to stage a fixture. "If we have an extra game they'd certainly be one of the better bets," he said.
The Lions visited Hong Kong en route to Australia in 2013, a stopover with significant commercial advantages, but Feehan is adamant any pre-tour fixture this time will be played for rugby reasons. "It'll be a very tough tour and we need to make sure we give the guys the best chance," he said. "We are looking at a game but it's not necessarily in America."
Worldwide profile
A rival bid to host the Lions is believed to have been proposed from France. The Americans, however, believe that hosting the Lions in the US, possibly in Chicago or on the west coast, would extend the game’s worldwide profile.
"If the Lions are going to make themselves a truly global brand, they're going to have to come to this market at some point," said Nigel Melville, the former England scrum-half who represented the Lions in New Zealand in 1983 and who is now the chief executive of USA Rugby.
“If they do they will help us with the growth of the game here to a huge extent and the Lions have a lot of global sponsors who would certainly welcome the opportunity to bring the Lions to the USA.”
The opposition would be provided by the US Eagles, who met the All Blacks in Chicago last November. The home side were beaten 74-6 but the game was a 61,500 sellout broadcast live by NBC.
Buoyed by the interest generated by the All Blacks fixture, USA Rugby is aiming to create a professional US league – featuring city-based teams – to kick off before the 2019 World Cup. “We’re talking to investors,” said Melville. “We’ve still got some way to go but it’s closer to reality than it ever has been.
Cautious
“I think it would make an absolutely massive impact on the game here but we’re being very cautious about building something because we want to get it right for the longer term.”
The US has also bid to host the 2018 Sevens World Cup in San Francisco and is considering a bid for the 2023 or 2027 Rugby World Cup.
Any extra Lions match in 2017, meanwhile, would increase the length of the tour to 11 games. A New Zealand Rugby Union source has indicated it would not be giving up one of its scheduled fixtures.
The Lions have played in North America before – in 1966 in Vancouver, on their way home from New Zealand. Mike Campbell-Lamerton’s tourists were beaten 8-3 by British Columbia.
A final decision is likely to be taken this summer. “The Lions have to prepare their team to face New Zealand and a stop in Europe is not going to break the journey,” says Melville. Guardian Service
