US glamour trip is going under radar, despite Wales’ efforts to raise profile

IN Wales, a lot has been said and written about the Test between Warren Gatland’s side and South Africa in Washington DC tonight.

Some deem it a money-grabbing exercise, others have branded it a farce that devalues international rugby – many would agree.

So, how has the game been received Stateside and what kind of impact have Wales made in the US capital city since arriving in the country last Sunday?

It depends how you want to gauge it really.

The squad and management team couldn’t have done a lot more to engage with the communities that surround them since they’ve been here.

But their concerted efforts to put themselves out there are juxtaposed by the alarming lack of interest in the clash at RFK Stadium.

It is hoped that the attendance will exceed the 20,000 mark, which on the face of it, for two tier-one nations, is extremely poor and will only provide ammunition for the critics.

Though what, perhaps, is even more alarming than dwindling levels of interest is the significant lack of advertisement in the local area.

Having spoken to members of the public, taxi drivers, baristas and hotel staff, the game will kick off at 5pm here today without the bulk of the DC area knowing it’s even happening. One rugby fanatic told me he’d heard one advert on the radio in recent weeks and he’d seen one poster in a Metro station since my arrival on Tuesday.

That’s not to say there aren’t posters up elsewhere – this is a big old city – but it’s a safe bet to assume that the views of the wider population align with those of the people I’ve canvassed.

The company responsible for marketing the game is Rugby International Marketing (RIM), which is the commercial arm of USA Rugby, and it’s been in disarray after reporting heavy financial losses at the end of April.

A report released last month explained that RIM had ‘no ability to successfully sustain itself as a business.’ So against that backdrop, it’s little surprise the marketing of this game has been scarce. At one point, there were fears the game wouldn’t even go ahead, though they were contractually obliged to pay Wales and the Springboks even if a ball was never kicked, so it made more sense for them to try and recoup some of those losses.

But they’ve not really helped themselves in the build-up to this one – the game has very little profile over here.

So, you could look at the empty seats tonight, low-key atmosphere and lack of interest and legitimately suggest that Wales are merely making a drop in the ocean over here.

But who you blame another matter.

Wales could very easily have come over here, trained behind closed doors, picked up their reported $750,000 match fee and said ‘thank you very much.’

However, their approach has been the total opposite and they’ve tried to make the occasion work.

Since arriving in DC, they’ve made efforts to reach out to local radio and television stations to try and get players for that is on the airwaves, but have received little support.

Yesterday, defence coach Shaun Edwards and players Rhys Patchell and Samson Lee went out into the community to put on a coaching clinic for Bell High School and students in the Beyond Rugby programme – that uses rugby as a vehicle to instil core values – in Bermuda.

The students from Beyond Rugby have flown in for this weekend and they’ll have free tickets to the game before playing a game against Bell High School tomorrow.

If you ask those kids what they think about Wales being in the US, the only response you’d get is a positive one.

A selection of management and players also represented the country during a visit to the British Embassy last night in further efforts to raise awareness of their presence in the States.

Wales are not obliged to have done anything beyond simply turn up tonight and these extracurricular activities – organised off their own back – provide no financial benefit. They’ve been done to try to raise the profile of the sport over here, as well as the match.

Whether they’ve proved successful in their quest depends how you measure success and who you ask.

On their way to DC, Wales stayed in Annapolis to train for two days and flung their doors open to the US Navy rugby team to come and train with them.

They also fulfilled commercial obligations in Baltimore, where they visited the Under Armour – Wales’ kit manufacturer – Global Headquarters.

If you ask head coach Warren Gatland, the game is a vital stepping stone in their preparations for the 2019 Rugby World Cup because it exposes the squad to similar conditions to the ones they’ll face in Japan and introduces a relatively-inexperienced group to what is required from them away from the field when on tour.

The stadium is expected to be half empty on tonight, and a relatively lowkey affair, a strange environment for a Test match involving these sides... but that’s not because the WRU have been sitting on their hands.