United Rugby in the USA only a matter of timing, says Anayi

URC chiefs hope to stage a match involving an Irish province in the United States but say a Leinster v Munster derby clash would be "hard" to take on the road.

Over the course of the last decade the tournament has undergone a number of format changes with the addition of four big South African franchises two years ago the last major change.

Mentions of some element of cross-Atlantic initiative have never been far away and the BKT United Rugby Championship CEO Martin Anayi said yesterday that they have been in discussion with "people over in Boston" about the possibility of one of the provinces playing in the city, which has a large Irish-American population.

"Out of all the leagues, I think we've got the most resonance in the States," said Anayi.

"We actually generate the most amount of money from the TV deal in the States than any other [rugby] leagues.

"I think it shows certainly an Irish element of the audience is significant in the United States and they would absolutely support our teams going over there and playing.

"We have been in discussions with people over in Boston. I can't find the right date.

"I know that sounds really silly but it's about getting the timing right with the venue. You've got Major League Baseball over certain parts of the season.

"So it's about getting the right date and making sure that our clubs here really want to do that."

While the prospect of taking the two most successful Irish provinces stateside might sound most appealing, Anayi suggested that, in practice, it would be hard to organise.

He added: "Taking an interpro' though, like a Munster v Leinster game, it's a whole different kettle of fish, isn't it?

"One of the key reasons why somebody puts the hard-earned money into a season ticket is