Next July, the fifteen of France will challenge New Zealand, which they dominated (30-29) in Saint-Denis on November 16. The Blues, deprived of their premium players and their finalists, will play three matches with the All Blacks for a highly anticipated summer tour. But according to our information, one of these three meetings could be held in…the United States. This is in fact the wish of the leaders of the New Zealand federation, motivated by economic reasons, who recently made it known to their French counterparts.
« They actually mentioned this proposal to us, confirmed the president of the FFR Florian Grill. We are waiting to see in what framework and to receive a formal proposal. We are not necessarily favorable from a sporting point of view but are considering the interest in terms of promoting rugby in the United States ahead of the 2031 World Cup which will take place there. It is therefore still too early to answer since we do not know the precise framework to date. » From what we know, Fabien Galthié's staff would not be thrilled by this possibility…
In 2016, the All Blacks had already played on American soil. It was in Chicago for a defeat against Ireland (40-29). Last July, Scott Robertson's men this time outclassed Fiji (47-5) in San Diego.
