Ireland to face All Blacks in Chicago
Ireland will face the All Blacks in a one-off test match in Chicago, Irish Rugby has confirmed.
The game will take place on November 5th, 2016 at Soldier Field, which is normally the home of Chicago’s NFL team, the Bears.
The match will be part of the Rugby Weekend, a weekend of exhibition matches to boost the profile of Rugby in America. This comes as the USA is set to launch it’s own professional rugby league.
The CEO of the IRFU, Phillip Browne spoke about how this fixture will appeal to the large portion of Americans who have Irish heritage.
There is a huge population in the USA who are proud of their Irish heritage as well as large numbers of Irish who have migrated more recently to live and work in the USA.
New Zealand are the current world champions, having defeated Australia in the final of last year’s World Cup, held in England. Ireland made it to the quarter-final of the competition, where they were dispatched 20-43 by Argentina. The Irish are the current holders of the Six Nations, however after a poor start to the tournament, people are doubting whether Ireland can hold onto the trophy for the third consecutive year.