Quick Rugby question

http://www.epcrugby.com/europeanrugbychampionscup/tv/index.php lists beIN Sports, but it may not refer to beIN Sports in the USA, and I didn't find it on beIN Sports' website. Wikipedia says ESPN3 (online only) has the rights in the USA, but ESPN's website doesn't have any Rugby listed. You could try going to http://www.epcrugby.com/contact/ask_epcr.php and asking.

 

Not true...ESPN3 has been showing two Top 14 (French league) matches a week, which are not listed until about 4 days before that weekend's games (of which there are none this weekend due to the Champions Cup matches) and a recently completed 4 nation Rugby Championship. More notably, they have been showing every match from the Super Rugby, which runs from Feb-Aug.

I was also curious where to find the European Rugby Champions and Challenge Cups, which in previous years was carried on ESPN3. I wrote the EPCR (the organizing and governing group of those tournaments) and they replied:

"ESPN Inc ( http://espn.go.com/ - http://www.espn.com/ ) have the USA broadcast rights for the European Rugby Champions Cup and Challenge Cup - until the conclusion of the 2017/18 season – across their pay TV, internet and mobile services platforms."

Unfortunately, I have been unable to get any information from ESPN...their Customer Care agents only resource seems to be the same schedules you and I can view online.

 

The NZ All Blacks are playing Ireland and the Maori All-Blacks are playing USA in early November in Chicago. Wonder if anyone is showing that?

 

Last year the USA match in Chicago was on NBC so i'd imagine they'll be on NBC again this year.

 

What's there to show? If it's 15 v 15 Rugby Union, the US will get mauled. Rugby Union is an amateur sport in the US, which makes the US basically irrelevant against Rugby's elite nations.

 

Well, its Ireland v New Zealand and USA v the Maori National Team.

According to experts the US at full strength are good enough to give the Maori All-Blacks a good battle, although now I'm hearing that they will be without their European-based players since its not a regular int'l break.

 

That's news to me. When did that occur?

 

Considering how much MLS players make, I'm surprised an American rugby league could pay 25 or 40K. How long is the season? I think players who have had sustained success in MLS without playing on a club in Europe like Wondolowski and Rimando would have more name recoginition in the United States that the top rugby players in the world.

 

For more information about Pro Rugby, see here.

 

All I can say is that Rugby now being professional in the US is huge for the sport. The question, though, is how long will the league survive?

 

"The NZ All Blacks are playing Ireland and the Maori All-Blacks are playing USA in early November in Chicago. Wonder if anyone is showing that?"

The Rugby Channel (http://www.therugbychannel.tv) is scheduled to show the following United States Mens National Team rugby matches in the month of November.

United States vs Maori All Blacks - LIVE - Friday, November 4 - 8:00 pm ET.
Romania vs United States - LIVE - Saturday, November 12 - 11:00 am ET.
Tonga vs United States - Saturday, November 19 - 11:00 am ET.
There are also two United States Womens National Team matches scheduled for late November - both vs France.

All matches are scheduled for their premium channel so theres a cost.
Looks like $4.99 a month with the first 30 days free - limited time only - for newcomers.
So if you are one of those - you get two months for $4.99.

Heres the link to the Rugby Channel TV Schedule - October/November 2016 -
http://res.cloudinary.com/usarugby-...0278/TRC_Schedule_Oct-Nov_2016V2_2_Sheet1.pdf

 

"The NZ All Blacks are playing Ireland and the Maori All-Blacks are playing USA in early November in Chicago. Wonder if anyone is showing that?"

International Rugby Double-Header - NBCSN - Saturday, November 5.

8:00 pm ET - LIVE - New Zealand All Blacks vs Ireland - Soldier Field, Chicago, Illinois.
10:00 pm ET - One Day-Tape Delay - USA Eagles vs Maori All Blacks - Toyota Park, Chicago, Illinois.

The two matches are part of “The Rugby Weekend,” a collaboration between USA Rugby and TLA Worldwide.

The USA Eagles-Maori All Blacks match marks the fourth encounter between the two teams - the last one was in 2014 when the Maori All Blacks defeated the USA Eagles 29-19 in Philadelphia. The New Zealand All Blacks-Irish Rugby Football Union met most recently in 2013, when New Zealand edged Ireland by a score of 24-22 in Dublin.

Veteran play-by-play announcer Todd Harris will call the matches and will be joined in the booth by analysts and former USA Rugby World Cup members Brian Hightower and Dan Lyle.

http://nbcsportsgrouppressbox.com/2...weekend-presented-by-aig-this-saturday-night/

 

So after all that the match just ended up being shown live on NBC Live Extra! I checked Live Extra about 3 days before the match and, correct me if I'm wrong, but the NZ v Ireland test wasn't listed. Luckily I checked again on Saturday morning so I didn't miss the live broadcast as it turned out to be a historic result.

 

Viewership Numbers - United States - International Rugby - Saturday, November 5.

NEW ZEALAND/IRELAND - LIVE - NBCSN - 8:00 PM - 10:11 PM - 113.
UNITED STATES/MAORI - ONE DAY TAPE DELAY - NBCSN - 10:11 PM - 12:11 AM - 69.

https://sportstvratings.com/marylan...tv-ratings-for-saturday-november-5-2016/6787/

 

Los Teros lost to Germany 24-21

 

USA Rugby states its role as "the national governing body charged with achieving and maintaining high levels of quality in all aspects of rugby."