Crusaders boss Hamish Riach says he is disappointed the Crusaders' game in the US is off.

Supplying season tickets to disgruntled fans is the only financial cost the Crusaders will incur from the failed venture to New Orleans.

Although the Super Rugby franchise had agreed to field the Crusaders Knights, essentially a development team, against London club Saracens - who were also to put out a weakened side - at the Superdome in New Orleans on August 1, chief executive Hamish Riach says the team were never going to lose money if the event was canned.

As a gesture of goodwill to supporters who have booked flights to the United States to watch the game, the Crusaders will offer a season ticket for next year.

"It is as a thank-you for their support and we regret enormously they may have spent money on a game that is no longer on," Riach said.

When it was confirmed RugbyLaw had scrapped the game, it was no surprise; another match organised by the outfit between the Rough Riders and Leicester Tigers in Philadelphia on August 8 was cancelled earlier this month.

Riach wouldn't divulge RugbyLaw's reasons for the collapsed deal.

"They are the promoters, it is their event, they invited us to play and have now told us they have cancelled the game. I think it is the right thing to let them explain that to you."

This bold adventure always seemed destined to fail. The lack of information supplied by RugbyLaw last week raised concerns.

When RugbyLaw founder Michael Clements was contacted he refused to say how many tickets had sold for a sport which is foreign to most Americans. In the next breath he said he hoped the stadium, which has a capacity of around 70,000, would be filled.

World Rugby were also concerned about the turf at the Superdome.

USA Rugby copped heat from RugbyLaw and Leicester for not sanctioning the game in Philadelphia. However, they may not have been able to give the green light if the Rough Riders were not officially affiliated to any parent body or union.

Although it has been documented in the past that RugbyLaw's relationship with USA Rugby is frosty, Riach defended the Crusaders' decision to agree to let the Knights play Saracens.

"We had no reason to think it would come to this."

This is the second offshore game the Crusaders have had to cancel this year. They wanted to play the Hurricanes in Fiji on May 29 but had to transfer it to Nelson when the deal fell through. The players also made it clear they wanted to play in New Zealand.

Riach didn't believe the Crusaders brand had been damaged by the failed venture to the US and said the organisation would continue to explore ways to grow their earning potential.

"I don't think we should not continue to try and explore opportunities and innovate around what we do in rugby. In this case it hasn't worked out," he said.

"We would still like to play overseas when it can be arranged, but it is not easy."