Crusaders’ Superdome doubt

The planned match between the Crusaders and English premiership champions Saracens at the Superdome in New Orleans could be in jeopardy after organisers failed to gain approval for a second game.

Governing body USA Rugby have refused to grant permission for a match between the Leicester Tigers and American team the Rough Riders.

Organised by American company RugbyLaw, the game was scheduled for August 8 at Lincoln Financial Field, home of NFL team the Philadelphia Eagles.

The same company is organis- ing the proposed fixture between Crusaders Knights and Saracens in the New Orleans Superdome. The Knights were a combined team of Super Rugby contracted and Canterbury provincial players.

RugbyLaw is still waiting for that game to be approved, although the decision seems to rest with World Rugby, not the US governing body.

The match in New Orleans has been slated as a ‘‘Hemispheres Cup match’’. Both teams expect it will go ahead on August 1, despite the cancellation of Leicester’s fixture.

On Friday, Crusaders chief executive Hamish Riach said they had received assurances that the game would take place as planned. RugbyLaw founder Andrew Clements said that USA Rugby backed the match.

Leicester chief executive Simon Cohen has accused the US governing body of not sanctioning his team’s match for their own commercial benefit. The organisation had its own fixture arranged with another English team, Harlequins, in the same Philadelphia ground three weeks later.

With tickets already sold for both the Leicester Tigers and Crusaders matches, the organisers could face a major hiccup in their plans to develop rugby in the USA if both fixtures fall through.