England reject World Rugby's US Six Nations push
England have effectively ruled out playing a Six Nations match in the US, unwilling to sacrifice the roughly £10m generated by home fixtures at Twickenham.
World Rugby has dangled financial incentives to get a Six Nations match played in the United States, and England have all but ruled themselves out of taking part.
The reasoning is straightforward. A home Six Nations fixture at Twickenham brings in around £10m for the RFU, and men's matches at the ground make up about 85% of the union's total revenue.
The push is bound up with the 2031 World Cup, which the US will host, and with growing concern over how shallow the sport's roots still are there. World Rugby wants marquee fixtures on American soil before then to build a following. Baltimore stages the fourth Test between South Africa and New Zealand on Saturday, the same series that stood level at 1-1 heading into the teams' meeting at FNB Stadium.
It is not the first attempt to sell top-level rugby to American crowds. A plan to route the British & Irish Lions through Las Vegas on their way to Australia in 2025 fell through, though England did play the USA in Washington that same summer, and the All Blacks met Ireland in Chicago last autumn. The 2030 Nations Championship finals weekend has also been pencilled in for the US.
A full Six Nations fixture is a different proposition. World Rugby has floated Ireland against Italy as the most workable option, given the number of Irish and Italian expats on the American East Coast.
Any move still needs the backing of the Six Nations committee, not just World Rugby's goodwill. With England cool on the idea and the debenture question unresolved, Ireland and Italy look the only two unions likely to keep the conversation alive.
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