Brian O’Driscoll: Rugby will never break America ‘in a big way’ in wake of Ireland v All Blacks ‘farce’
All Blacks star Beauden Barrett, who was hit high by Tadhg Beirne, in action v Ireland, and legendary former player Brian O'Driscoll.
Brian O’Driscoll believes that Ireland’s Chicago clash with the All Blacks did little to promote the game in America.
In front of a full house at Soldier Field, New Zealand went away with a 26-13 victory, but it was not the greatest spectacle.
There were plenty of mistakes from both sides, while there were a number of teething issues, which included the big screen not working following Tadhg Beirne’s high shot.
The US is a market rugby has long looked to break into and World Rugby has decided to take the 2031 World Cup to the country, but O’Driscoll is not convinced the sport will ever gain huge traction across the Atlantic.
‘Farcical’ Ireland-All Blacks moment
“There’s a bit of a concern around, are we ever going to break America with rugby? Not in a big way. They’re American football-obsessed, nothing’s going to break into their own sport, it’s just not,” he told Off The Ball.
“Can we get a piece of that audience? Yeah, a very small one I would imagine, but we definitely need to drum up interest and make the experience a lot better for people to come back next time.
“The farcical nature around a red card after two-and-a-half minutes and no one gets to see a replay is a joke. There were no shot clocks, there was no yellow card or red card updated for ages.”
He added: “This happens in stadia but we were cleared out half-an-hour after the game. We were going to do a final hit and the security came along and the general manager said: ‘Off the field’.
“That’s the great thing about Ireland, you would be able to wrangle your way into doing a two-minute hit, in America it’s non-negotiable.
“Then someone got in touch with someone and they rowed back because their superior had told them, ‘Okay, fair enough’.”
Ireland and the All Blacks were meeting in Chicago for the first time since 2016, when the Irishmen claimed a 40-29 success over their opponents.
‘Big financial implications’
“It certainly didn’t have the joy of 2016, but then it just shows that performance and result goes a long way towards a good experience,” O’Driscoll said.
“There’s more to it than just a game, I think there’s lots going on behind the scenes, lots of really great events, so you have to not appear cynical around it.
“There’s rugby but there are huge add-ons as well. I’m sure there’s big financial implications and upsides to putting on certain events and whatnot.”
While O’Driscoll remains doubtful rugby can build a fanbase in the US, he states that they certainly have to try, particularly with the World Cup on the horizon.
“Also, are we just going to wait until 2031 and go, ‘hey, we’re here’? We’ve got to try and make it work and we’re (Ireland) best placed to go and do it. There are so many of us living in the States,” he added.
“But it was a poor overall experience on lots of levels. The pitch didn’t look good, wasn’t well marked out.”
READ MORE: Brian O’Driscoll: Ireland lack ‘X-factor’ with only bright spark in All Blacks loss an ‘anomaly’
