Submitted by USA Rugby For Immediate Release
November 2, 2016
LAFAYETTE, Colo. – This November, The Rugby Channel will broadcast an unprecedented 22 exclusive live matches from around the globe, including international tests featuring the USA Men’s and Women’s National Teams, traditional heavyweights England, the storied Barbarians and rising powers Japan and Argentina. Paying subscribers will be able to view the matches live and on-demand at www.therugbychannel.tv or via The Rugby Channel’s apps for iOS, Android, Roku, Apple TV and Amazon Fire devices.
The feast of live coverage will begin on Friday, Nov. 4 at 8 pm ET when the USA Men’s Eagles open The Rugby Weekend Presented by AIG by playing host to the Maori All Blacks at Toyota Park in Bridgeview, Illinois. The Maori All Blacks, an elite side from New Zealand featuring players with Maori ‘whakapa,’ or genealogy, are returning to the U.S. for the first time since 2013, when they played the Eagles before a sellout crowd in Philadelphia.
Then on Saturday, Nov. 12, the Eagles will travel to Bucharest to play Romania in an 11 am ET kickoff. To wrap up their tour of Europe, the USA will face Tonga in San Sebastian, Spain on Saturday, Nov. 19 at 11 am ET.
The USA Women’s Eagles will head to France to play two test matches against fourth-ranked France, four months after competing against Les Blues in the second annual Women’s Rugby Super Series in Utah. Stade de la Méditerranée in Béziers will host the first matchup between the 2016 RBS Women’s 6 Nations champions and the U.S. on Tuesday, Nov. 22 at 6 pm ET, with the second match set for Altrad Stadium in Montpellier on Friday, Nov. 25 (kickoff time TBD).
“We are excited to unveil this action-packed November programming schedule for The Rugby Channel,” said David Sternberg, CEO of the channel’s parent company, Rugby International Marketing. “These exclusive matches from the U.S. and around the world should be massively appealing to both current and new subscribers to the service.”
The programming lineup includes a number of other top matches not involving the American national teams. Among these will be the Old Mutual Wealth Series of England autumn international tests from legendary Twickenham Stadium, with the Red and Whites hosting four opponents all ranked within the top 10 in the world. First on Saturday Nov. 12, No. 2 England will play No. 4 South Africa. England’s last victory against the Springboks came in 2006. Since then, England has failed to beat the Boks in 12 attempts.
On Saturday, Nov. 19, England will welcome No. 10 Fiji in a rematch of last year’s Rugby World Cup opener that saw England prevail 35-11. Fiji will be looking for its 1st ever win against England.
Then on Saturday, Nov. 26 England will host No. 9 Argentina for the first time since a 31-12 England victory in 2013. England will close out the autumn internationals on Saturday, Dec. 3 against world No. 3 Australia. England will welcome the Wallabies back to Twickenham for the first time since a painful loss to Australia in a crucial pool match during the 2015 Rugby World Cup.
All four England matches will kick off LIVE at 9:30 am ET and will air exclusively on The Rugby Channel in the United States.
Building on their success at last year’s Rugby World Cup in England, the Brave Blossoms from Japan will welcome world No. 9 Argentina in a home test match at Chichibunomiya Rugby Stadium in Tokyo on Saturday, Nov. 5 at 1:40 am ET.
Also on Nov. 5, the legendary Barbarians FC will host South Africa for the first time since 2010. This Barbarians’ meeting with the Springboks takes place at the iconic Wembley Stadium in London at 11 am ET and will be the eighth time the two sides have met since 1952. The Barbarians will return to The Rugby Channel on Nov. 11 when they face Fiji at the Kingspan Stadium in Belfast at 2:30 pm ET.
In addition to these internationals, The Rugby Channel in November will bring its subscribers live Round 8 and 9 coverage of the Guinness Pro12, first- and second-round action from the Anglo-Welsh Cup, visits by the Maori All Blacks to top European clubs Munster and Harlequins, and coverage of the Green King IPA Championship. And as always, the service will feature the weekly news show TRC Report and on-demand access to the archives of USA Rugby, England Rugby and the Rugby World Cup.
The Rugby Channel provides rugby supporters in the U.S. and Canada with a unique digital platform where fans can watch some of the most elite competitions in the world. Subscriptions to The Rugby Channel are just $4.99 a month, or a yearly subscription can be purchased $49.99, less than a dollar a week for exclusive coverage of U.S. and international rugby.
Schedule
All times subject to change
Date Time (ET) Competition Teams
11/4/16 3:35 pm Guinness Pro12 Round 8 Munster vs. Ospreys
11/4/16 3:45 pm Anglo-Welsh Cup Round 1 Bath vs. Leister
11/4/16 8:00 pm USA Men’s Fall Tour USA vs. Maori All Blacks
11/5/16 1:40 am Autumn Internationals Japan vs. Argentina
11/5/16 11:00 am Autumn Internationals Barbarians vs. South Africa
11/5/16 1:30 pm Anglo-Welsh Cup Round 1 Harlequins vs. Exeter
11/11/16 2:30 pm Autumn Internationals Barbarians vs. Fiji
11/11/16 2:45 pm International Match Munster vs. Maori All Blacks
11/12/16 9:30 am Autumn Internationals England vs. South Africa
11/12/16 11:00 am USA Men’s Fall Tour Romania vs. USA
11/12/16 2:45 pm Anglo-Welsh Cup Round 2 Bristol vs. Sale
11/13/16 10:00 am Anglo-Welsh Cup Round 2 Exeter vs. Cardiff
11/16/16 2:45 pm International Match Harlequins vs. Maori All Blacks
11/19/16 9:30 am Autumn Internationals England vs. Fiji
11/19/16 11:00 am USA Men’s Fall Tour Tonga vs. USA
11/22/16 3:00 pm USA Women’s Fall Tour France vs. USA
11/25/16 TBD USA Women’s Fall Tour France vs. USA
11/26/16 9:30 am Autumn Internationals England vs. Argentina
11/26/16 2:35 pm Guinness Pro 12 Round 9 Connacht vs. Cardiff
11/26/16 2:35 pm Guinness Pro 12 Round 9 Glasgow vs. Ospreys
11/27/16 9:00 am Green King IPA Champs Doncaster vs. Pirates
12/4/16 9:30 am Autumn Internationals England vs. Australia
About Rugby International Marketing
Rugby International Marketing (RIM) is a for-profit commercial entity created by USA Rugby to represent its commercial rights and develop new revenue streams to fund development of the game by leveraging the commercial opportunities available to USA Rugby. The Rugby Channel is a subsidiary of Rugby International Marketing. Click here for more information.
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Further Information:
Nick Sero | Manager, Communications and Digital Media | USA Rugby | nsero@usarugby.org
