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Ireland to face USA Eagles in summer test after Fiji tour cancelled

Ireland will face the USA Eagles in a summer test match at the Aviva Stadium, as the IRFU's end o...
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98FM

10.36 4 May 2021


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Ireland to face USA Eagles in...

Ireland to face USA Eagles in summer test after Fiji tour cancelled

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98FM
98FM

10.36 4 May 2021


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Ireland will face the USA Eagles in a summer test match at the Aviva Stadium, as the IRFU's end of season schedule begins to take shape.

The IRFU have been left to make alternative arrangements after their proposed tour of Fiji was cancelled due to Covid-19 fears, following an outbreak in the Pacific Island.

And while the union are yet to announce their revised summer schedule, USA Eagles head coach Gary Gold confirmed his side would be travelling to Dublin to take on Andy Farrell's side on the weekend of July 10.

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Speaking to Alex Corbisiero's American Rugby Show podcast, the USA Eagles head coach Gary Gold said his side have been booked in for games against both England and Ireland in July.

"What our schedule is that has just been confirmed is that on July 3rd we'll be playing England at Twickenham in our first game that we play since returning from Covid and the Rugby World Cup and a week later we're due to play Ireland at the Aviva," Gold said.

Games against Canada and Japan are also a possibility, with Andy Farrell looking for opportunities to blood younger players into his squad, with a hopefully healthy contingent of first-team stars unavailable due to Lions selection, which will be revealed o Thursday.

The USA Eagles squad is likely to feature a number of Irish-born players, notably Sale Sharks and former Connacht outhalf AJ MacGinty, Wexford hooker Dylan Fawsitt and Inishmore prop Paul Mullen all part of their 2019 World Cup squad, as well as Cork flanker John Quill who has since retired back home to Ireland.

Ireland's last meeting against the Americans came in November 2018, as Ireland followed up their famous win versus the All Blacks with a comfortable 57-14 victory at the Aviva Stadium.

The IRFU officially confirmed the cancellation of their summer tour to Fiji on Friday, with performance director David Nucifora saying they would confirm new fixture details in due course.

"A great deal of effort has gone into the planning of the Tour which was predicated on a safety first approach. Fiji up until this point had been relatively untouched by the pandemic but that picture has quickly changed and unfortunately it is no longer viable to proceed with the tour.

"The rugby challenge in Fiji would have been formidable and would have exposed our players to the athleticism and skillset that the Fijians are famous for. It would have provided a significant developmental window for the national group considering that they also missed out on a summer tour in 2020.

"I would like to thank the Fijian Rugby Union, the Fijian government and World Rugby for their support over the past few months and I have no doubt it would have been a successful and fantastic touring experience.

"We will continue to explore alternative arrangements with our partner Unions," Nucifora said.

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Aj Macginty Andy Farrell Gary Gold Usa Eagles

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