The All Blacks have been at the forefront of rugby’s attempts to make an imprint in a notoriously tough sports market.
Ireland memorably beat the All Blacks for the first time when the teams met in front of a capacity 60,000-strong crowd at Chicago’s Soldier Field in 2016, with a 2025 rematch proving a similar commercial success.
New Zealand have also staged matches against the United States – a 104-14 victory in front of about 40,000 fans in Washington, external – and Fiji – a 47-5 win before 33,217 in San Diego – in the country over the past decade
However Gilpin believes that the history of the Six Nations and its ability to connect with expatriate fans in the United States could be a useful tool to crack America further.
“This isn’t a live discussion of an Italy vs Ireland game, but why we use that as an example?” he added.
“You’ve got two fantastic fanbases in the US of Irish and Italian fans
“If you could take a Six Nations game to the right place, to a Boston or to a New York, where there’s a lot of those fanbases, you can definitely drive the economics.
“Now, you’re going to have Irish fans and Italian fans in those respective home countries saying, ‘Hang on a minute, you know, we want to see our country play?’
“The counter-argument to that [is] it’s still Irish and Italian fans getting the chance to watch their team, so they’re just not the ones who live in Ireland and Italy on this occasion. But that’s a balancing piece we’ve got to work through.”
Wales played their home matches at London’s Wembley Stadium during the 1998 and 1999 Six Nations while the Principality Stadium was being built, but such a long-haul venue switch would be unprecedented in the tournament’s 143-year history.
England women’s head coach John Mitchell, who led the United States’ men’s team earlier in his career, said he was unsure whether a stateside expansion would ultimately succeed.
“I’ve worked for America. I understand that geography,” he told BBC Radio 5 Live.
“American sport is full of rivalries and I just don’t think Americans adjust to new rivalries or new franchises compared to probably some of the other countries.
“Will rugby ever go big there based on its its early investment?
“I’m not sure I can answer that, but what I do know is that rugby union is a difficult challenge for large parts of America.”
He was also wary of the prospect of a Red Roses’ Six Nations match being staged in the United States.
“The visibility’s huge here in the European market,” added Mitchell.
“Let’s use it because that’s the way to grow the game slowly, rather than putting huge investments into something that might have potential, but not necessarily that visibility.”
While World Rugby could support a stateside Six Nations game, the decision would lie with the competing teams, all of whom would be aware of the consternation that would come with transplanting a fixture thousands of miles away.
The schedule for the 2027 editions of both the men’s and women’s tournaments have already been set.
