Damp squib in Philadelphia exposes distance of American rugby dream

Only just over 6,000 turned up to watch Saracens and Newcastle to illustrate that the Premiership’s American adventure still has a long way to go

The Premiership Rugby chief executive, Mark McCafferty, put a brave face on a poor crowd for Newcastle v Saracens in Philadelphia, saying: “Obviously we know the size of the task, and it’s a big one.”

The Talen Energy Stadium – actually in Chester, down the Delaware from Philly – contained only 6,271 fans, 12,000 short of its modest Major League Soccer capacity. McCafferty said the challenge of filling such a ground, quite likely, although not certainly, to be the Talen, for the three years left of the American Series deal, was “exciting, in a way”.

Alas, the game served to the American audience on Saturday was not, really. It sparked early, the former US Eagles wing Chris Wyles spinning over for a try on the end of a slick Sarries move. But in a game played in punishing humidity the only thing that was slick after that was the ball. There were drops and fumbles galore, one leading to Vereniki Goneva’s breakout try for Newcastle, with Saracens adding five Owen Farrell penalties and a slightly contentious penalty try.

McCafferty said: “For this sort of stadium, I would say we would have to be [selling out] within a three-year period. Otherwise, something’s not right.” It was left unsaid but in June, Premiership Rugby and its American partner, AEG Rugby, said a 2017 sell-out was “integral to the project”. This week, a 10,000 crowd was predicted.

“We’ve got to find another 8,000-10,000 people who are going to follow rugby in the next 12 months,” McCafferty said. “But that’s not the difference between having a viable and sustainable strategy in the US.”

The teams to play the game next year have not yet been decided, he said, though “some clubs have a bit more of a risk appetite than others” when it comes to moving a home game abroad. He also said a report that a US team could one day play in the Anglo-Welsh Cup – a competition featuring teams from the Pro14, in which less than 500 watched the Southern Kings play Leinster in Port Elizabeth on Saturday – was correct in “a general sense”.

McCafferty heralded NBC’s Premiership broadcasts, now in a second year, and efforts to reach the roots of the American game. He was right to do so. Compared with last year’s US fixture – Saracens-Irish in New Jersey – which attracted an announced crowd of 14,811, Premiership Rugby and AEG had concerted community outreach in place.

Outside the stadium, on soccer fields cut billiard-table brilliant under a blistering sun, young kids hurtled about in a flag rugby free-for-all. Sarries and Newcastle squad players coached or just tried to keep up. At half‑time in the main game, 35 coach and player scholarships for week‑long trips to England were announced. Many of the recipients were from states further flung than the eastern seaboard: Louisiana, California and Hawaii.

On the flip side, most east-coast players and coaches were busy elsewhere. It was the start of the US fall season. Rather than ponying up to see Falcons-Sarries, high‑school hookers and sophomore second-rows were getting back in harness, testing the ground for a gallop.

The 5pm kick-off was meant to help those who played their own games but Pennsylvania is a big place, never mind America or the bit of it that abuts the Atlantic. Even getting to Chester from downtown Philly is a challenge and getting back is tricky too, what with Chester being according to some “the most dangerous city in PA”. On Saturday night one Uber driver said reports of “lots of British people at the stadium” meant more cars agreed to go in than usual.

The players did their bit. England’s No8 Billy Vunipola, back after a shoulder injury and forced to play 80 minutes after Schalk Burger went off at half-time, said he was knackered but also “keen” to help spread the Premiership gospel.

“It’s something you don’t want to force,” he said. “It’s not about shoving it down their throat. If you want to come and support, great; if not, we’ve got to keep working at it. I think it’s a great thing, but it’s always going to be tough to break into such a saturated sports market.”

Dean Richards, Newcastle’s director of rugby, agreed with Sarries’ Mark McCall when he said: “It was incredibly warm today and it probably wasn’t as fluid a game as we would’ve wanted.

“But having said that the intensity was there and some massive hits went in and I think the Americans liked that. They certainly like the gladiatorial-style contest.”

There were indeed cheers for a couple of big tackles, notably a gung-ho flattening of one of six Lions in the Sarries XV if you counted Vunipola, who was picked but did not tour. Maro Itoje was the hittee; the hitter was the Falcons No8 Nili Latu, dealing out pain even when his lungs burned and a resounding defeat was certain.

As an act of defiance, it was admirable. As a high point of a rather low-key night, it was telling. As McCafferty said, it is possible that the Premiership’s American adventure will come out on top, that full houses will watch great games on an as yet unidentified weekend that works for everyone. As he also acknowledged, it will have taken bloody hard work if it does.