USA Rugby today announced the USA Men’s Eagles XVs will host the historic French Barbarians on July 1, 2022 at Aveva Stadium in Houston, TX.
As a warmup match to the Rugby World Cup qualifying fixtures against Chile the following weeks, this exhibition match will provide fundamental preparation for the Men’s Eagles against the exciting open play of a French Barbarians side. Tickets will be available to the general public starting Friday, April 29 at 10AM CDT through usa.rugby/tickets. Live stream coverage will be provided by FloRugby.
“We are thrilled to bring this event to the Houston rugby community and Aveva Stadium,” said USA Rugby General Manager of Commercial & Events, Brandy Medran, “This incredible facility has been a target destination for USA Rugby since its opening in 2019 and we are delighted to partner with the SaberCats in bringing this special event to Houston. The French Barbarians are always a unique rugby experience that we’re eager to add to the Men’s Eagles summer series.”
The French Barbarians are an invitational side of rugby players assembled to celebrate an open and exciting style of rugby. The club first started in 1979, with their inaugural match against Scotland in May 1980. The most recent assembly was a win over Tonga in November 2021, with popular internationals like Henry Chavancy, Joe Tekori of Samoa and New Zealand Sevens star, Joe Ravouvou. The competing roster for the upcoming match has yet to be selected, but this will be the first visit to North America since facing off with Canada in 2008, and first match against the United States in the club’s history.
