Wales close to agreeing to play Boks in the USA |
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Fscarlet
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Posted: 11 January 2018 at 11:15am |
Wales are believed to be on the verge of confirming a Test match against South Africa in the USA this summer.
The match is said to be scheduled to take place on June 2, a week before Warren Gatland's men kick off their two-Test tour of Argentina. It works out perfectly for Wales as the proposed Test is set to take place in Washington DC, which is essentially on the way to their eventual destination. The stop-off would not only provide the players a chance to acclimatise to the hopping of time zones, but it would also provide a number of commercial opportunities, with the headquarters of Under Armour - Wales' kit manufacturer - under an hour away in Baltimore. Over the Christmas period, WRU CEO Martyn Phillips said: "This will give us a chance to acclimatise on the way out to Argentina and spend some time together with some new faces in the squad. "Across three games, we can try and develop a group of players. It's about bringing some new players in and giving the coaches a little bit longer with them." Reports also suggest that the game would be lucrative for both sides as USA rugby look to raise the profile of the sport in America. Wales wouldn't be the first to head stateside. Ireland famously beat the All Blacks 40-29 in Chicago in 2016. As for their tour of Argentina, the WRU are understood to be frustrated with their hosts given that venues for the games are yet to be confirmed and as a consequence, Wales are yet to send staff to South America for their customary 'recce'. |
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Fscarlet
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Update: This match is now in doubt due to poor ticket sales.
There have been discussions back in the States about changing the venue, date of the game and even talks about Wales or South Africa playing the USA instead. Wales and South Africa have also had their original match fee of £720,000 reduced to £540,000. |
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GPR - Rochester
Veteran Joined: 01 December 2014 Location: Rhydcymerau Status: Offline Points: 18784 |
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Apparently the marketing company arranging this fixture, which is part owned by RFU, is close to bankruptcy which is a bit of an embarrassment to the suits at HQ!!!!!!
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Fscarlet
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They were (somehow) expecting a similar attendance to the Ireland v New Zealand match they staged last year in the states. They have sold 12,000 tickets to date but reports suggest they need to sell 27,000 just to break even WRU have said as far as they are aware its going ahead. |
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