LAFAYETTE, CO. – USA Rugby announces two renewed contests to complete the home series for the Americas Rugby Championship (ARC) when the Men’s Eagles face long-time rival Canada at Papa Murphy’s Park in Sacramento on Feb. 10, along with Chile at Titan Stadium at Cal State Fullerton on Feb. 17. The contest against Canada begins at 3PM PT while the fixture with Chile begins at 2PM PT, both featured LIVE on The Rugby Channel. Pre-sale tickets for each event will be available Friday, Dec 8 at 2pm PST through Sun, Dec. 10 at 11:59pm PST, with registration for the pre-sale list available on usarugby.org/tickets.

The first, a contest against Canada, serves as a renewal of the principal rivalry in the ARC where the United States returns after serving the Canadians a 52-16 loss allowing the Eagles to seal their qualification for the 2019 Rugby World Cup in Japan.

Canada, who lost four out of their five final matchups of 2017, including a most recent 57-17 loss to Fiji, stands at No. 21 in the World Rankings and finished the 2016 ARC in third place with an overall record of 4-6 in their two appearances. The Men’s Eagles, who have not conceded a win to their rival in the past four years, will look to continue their dominance in a matchup that will surely ignite an exciting atmosphere at Papa Murphy’s Park.

General Manager Dave Hodges looks forward to the contest acknowledging the Eagles’ enthusiasm in traveling to Sacramento and energy around the rivalry.

“It is exciting to be back in Sacramento. A number of our players have come from Jesuit High School over the years and we have had great support from the fans at Papa Murphy’s Park,” said Hodges. “Test matches against Canada are always fiercely contested and we will need to be on top of our game as Canada will come into battle hardened from their two 2019 RWC qualification matches against Uruguay.”

The second contest brings a Chilean squad who returns with confidence, having just ended their 2017 season climbing four spots in the World Rankings after their defeat of Germany and rising from No. 28 to their now No. 24 position. Looking to build on momentum, the Condors will hope to avoid a third consecutive loss to the prevailing champion United States, finishing the 2016 ARC in 6th place with an overall record of 1-9 in the tournament.

Audiences at Cal State Fullerton will see a Chilean team hungry to continue their growth and an Eagles squad prepared to prove their higher World Ranking.

“Chile always brings a strong set piece and our forwards will need to come ready for the challenge,” says Hodges. “We are looking to put on our best performance at Cal State Fullerton for our final home match of the ARC.”

Having finished the 2017 season on a high note themselves, the Eagles are primed for competitive matchups, boasting their own win against Germany (46-17) and falling just shy of a November test sweep, with a 1-point loss to No. 12 World Ranked Georgia.

The United States, Canada and Chile will all make their third appearance in the 2018 Americas Rugby Championship with the Eagles competing in three consecutive home contests, beginning with International Rugby Saturday against Argentina XV at StubHub Center on Fri, Feb. 3 at 5PM PST.

The exclusive ticket pre-sale for the USA vs Canada and Chile matches will be followed by a public on sale, Monday Dec. 11 at 10AM PST. Fans may sign up for the Eagles’ pre-sale list at usarugby.org/tickets, subscribe to The Rugby Channel to watch both matches LIVE as well as follow @USARugby on Twitter for updates.