USA to Host Australia in Final Game Before Rugby World Cup
The USA has attracted yet another super power of world rugby to their shores, having been scheduled to play Australia in Chicago, as reported on the Australia Rugby Union's official website. Set to be played on September 5 at Soldier Field, the match will act as a final hit out for both teams ahead of the Rugby World Cup in England, starting on September 18.
It is a huge coup for rugby union in the USA, having now attracted two top-tier nations in as many years. Their match against New Zealand's All Blacks at the end of last year was deemed a huge success, despite suffering a heavy loss. The game, also played at Soldier Field, saw the 61,500-seat stadium sell out, while being watched by more than one million people across the country on television.
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Most importantly it acted as a brilliant advertisement for the sport in a market which has been largely untapped in the past. In general, it seemed a hugely positive experiment.
The question now is: Can it work again?
Sure it is great for USA rugby to be attracting opponents of this calibre. But the fact remains that the standard of their game has not yet caught up. Is it really going to be good for the game to have the American public seeing their team take on two teams who are multiple levels above them in consecutive years?
The USA is a nation used to being on the other side of the ledger and it may be hard for them to take to a sport in which their team is so far behind the world's top teams.
It is not that they are not capable in the long term. They have the basics and are fine competing against teams of their own level.
But they struggle with the pace the top teams play at, as most minnow teams do. It was evident last year, particularly on defence, as the All Blacks got the ball into space so quickly, the USA did not adjust fast enough and ended up getting hopelessly lost in their positioning down the wider channels.
That is the difference between the top teams and the rest. They all tend to have the basic skills, but being able to execute them under pressure and with less space and time available is where their true abilities are shown. When matched with a team at a higher level, the minnows can find that they just are not capable of executing and making decisions quickly enough.
To reach that level would require a more gradual progression. In terms of advancing their game, the USA and other minnow teams would perhaps be better off touring countries such as New Zealand and Australia and play provincial and Super Rugby teams. That way they are playing teams more at their level and at a level above them, but not too far above them.
From there they could adapt to a faster-paced game, which would then help them compete with the top teams.
Of course that would not help so much in terms of spreading the game's popularity, which would help attract more players and better athletes to the sport. But better athletes do not necessary mean better rugby players, much more important is being able to execute in as little time as possible.
From that point of view a mixture would perhaps be better. Have the occasional game against top-tier opposition to boost public interest, but focus on regularly playing teams that are closer to your own level.
They are doing this, to an extent. But the Pacific Island teams, who they play regularly, have a well-known style which is somewhat limited. It is not a bad thing to continue to play them, but it would be helpful to mix it up by touring various countries, as the top provincial and Super Rugby teams around the world would offer better and more varied opposition.
Their match against English club Harlequins, scheduled to take place in Philadelphia later in the year, is a great initiative along those exact lines. If they can lure teams to their shores like this, then that is even better.
But their game against Australia will act as another promotion for the game of rugby union and it should be a fun game for the public to get involved in. The Australians have struggled in recent times and are not at the same level as the All Blacks, despite being one of the few teams capable of beating them. Despite this, it is still hard to see the result as being anything other than a comfortable win for the men in gold.
Ahead of the World Cup it will offer great preparation for the American team too.
The only danger is that these sorts of games start doing more damage than good, as the American public comes to realise that while their team has potential, they just are not there with the world's best.
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