RUGBY’S American adventure flopped in the brave new world.
In sports-mad Philadelphia where baseball and American football have dominated this week English egg-chasing made a typically British entrance on the east coast.
Just 6,271 fans were tempted to spend their Saturday night at the Talen Energy Stadium, home of MLS side Philadelphia Union, on the banks of the Delaware River.
The night before Temple University’s football team blew the doors off Philadelphia Eagles’ NFL stadium with supported by a marching band, cheerleaders, acrobatics and pyrotechnics.
Before that The Phillies sent the Miami Marlins packing at Citizens Bank Park in an epic baseball match.
Yet there was none of that showmanship and razzmatazz here that makes watching sport in the States such a spectacle.
Stateside promoters AEG Rugby swung and missed at the chance to crunch a home run out of the park.
They failed to add the best of American hospitality to the English game.
But under the terms struck with Premiership Rugby they’ve got another three strikes to improve.
And being lead by former Bath and Leicester Tigers back-row Dan Lyle they’ve at least got a man who knows the sport on both sides of the Atlantic.
The disjointed pockets of interest in rugby around such a vast country makes it hard to cement the sport in one town and make much noise.
American sports fans get to watch every Premiership game over here if they subscribe to NBC Sports.
They’ll hardly be stashing away the dollar bills to have a look at this rate.
The game started on the right script with ex USA captain and local lad Chris Wyles opening the scoring for European champs Saracens.
Vereniki Geneva replied with a breakaway score converted by Joel Hodgson before it turned into a kicking contest.
Lions and England star Owen Farrell slotted 19 points from the tee with a penalty try making sure they bounced back to winning ways after defeat in Bath.
You can’t blame the players, though.
They’re under pressure to win, not put on a show. Hardly anyone in Philadelphia knew that this game even existed.
Premiership Rugby’s commercial director Dominic Hayes said in June: “It’s integral to the success of this project that the game is sold out. We need to build it and become a fixture in the Philadelphia sporting calendar.”
It’s back to the drawing board for this one.
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