LAFAYETTE, Colo. – San Antonio’s Toyota Field will host the USA Rugby Men’s Eagles match against Uruguay in the opening round of the Americas Rugby Championship 2017. This marks the first time in USA Rugby history that the Eagles will play international competition in the Alamo City.

Steve Zomberg

The Eagles traveled to Uruguay in last year’s inaugural season of the Americas Rugby Championship, losing narrowly 29-25. In their second year in the competition, and second under Head Coach John Mitchell, the Eagles will look for the support of the home crowd to rebound. The Eagles have played matches in Texas against international competition five times since 2012, garnering more than 75,000 fans.

“Texas has shown a real uptick in participation and growth over the last few years, so we know the fans in the are going to enjoy seeing two rugby nations compete for higher rankings and ARC spoils,” said Alex Magleby, USA Rugby’s General Manager of National Teams & High Performance. “We’re excited to bring our great game to a new batch of youth in San Antonio, and hopefully plant the seed for the next generation of great American rugby players.”

Uruguay will open the ARC against the Eagles in San Antonio, where international rugby will make its debut on the TifSport Bermuda Grass surface of Toyota Field Saturday, Feb. 4. Home to professional soccer teams since its opening in 2013, Toyota Field seats more than 8,000 spectators and has recently been acquired by the City of San Antonio and Bexar County. United Soccer Leagues franchise San Antonio FC began its inaugural season at the stadium earlier this year.

“We’re excited to bring international rugby to San Antonio,” said Russ Bookbinder, President and CEO of San Antonio Sports. “We know there is a passionate and growing rugby community here, and we expect they will enthusiastically embrace this match.”

Tickets for the U.S.-hosted matches of the Americas Rugby Championship will be released to the general public in due course. Each of the five Eagles fixtures during the Americas Rugby Championship competition will be broadcast live on The Rugby Channel (subscription required).

