Fox Sports Strikes Deal with USA Rugby

USA Rugby announced a broadcasting partnership with FOX Sports for the upcoming Men’s Eagles match against the New Zealand Maori All Blacks Nov. 9 at PPL Park in Philadelphia.

The inaugural Black and Blue Match, presented by USA Rugby and New Zealand Rugby Union sponsor AIG, will kick off at 7:00 P.M. ET on Saturday, Nov. 9, with the broadcast to be aired on FOX Sports 1 Sunday, Nov. 10 at noon ET.

“USA Rugby is very excited about FOX Sports 1 airing the match from Philadelphia,” USA Rugby Chief Commercial Officer Jon Persch said. “FOX Sports 1offers USA Rugby the greatest number of viewers with the new channel being offered in 90 million homes. On top of that, FOX Sports has had a monumental impact covering the world’s most elite sporting events and we are thrilled to share this marquee matchup with FOX Sports.”

FOX Sports 1, the new national 24-hour multi-sport channel, launched Aug. 17 in more than 90 million homes across the U.S., marking the largest sports network launch in television history. With nearly 5,000 hours of live event, news and original programming annually, USA Rugby joins a broadcast lineup that includes college football and basketball, MLB, NASCAR, NFL, soccer, boxing and UFC.

“This partnership with USA Rugby offers FOX Sports 1 the unique opportunity to be the U.S. television home for a very exciting inaugural event in the international rugby community,” said Michael Mulvihill, FOX Sports SVP of Programming & Research. “The Black and Blue Match showcases one of the fastest-growing sports in the world, bringing world-class rugby to the U.S. and – along with international soccer and UFC – continues to establish FOX Sports 1 as a destination for next-generation, rapidly evolving sports.”

In addition to the premiere airing on FOX Sports 1, FOX Sports is making the match available LIVE on FOX Soccer Plus (http://www.foxsoccerplus.com/) and FOXSoccer2GO (http://www.foxsoccer2go.com/).

The New Zealand Maori All Blacks are returning to American soil for the first time since the 2006 Churchill Cup. Canada will host the Maori All Blacks at BMO Field Nov. 3.