When Marcus Smith headed to Miami with his model girlfriend Beth Dolling after the Six Nations, everyone assumed it was a much-needed vacation for the English rugby star.

However, when England’s pivotal No. 10 and one of the sport’s most recognized figures appeared at a training session for the local rugby team during his time off, it was clear there was more to his Miami trip.

Smith’s stop at the Miami Sharks highlights the significant effort rugby is making, both on and off the pitch, to break into the U.S. market. Bill Goren, the CEO of American Rugby, revealed to Rugby Confidential that the USA might even host Six Nations games in the near future.

America will be the venue for the men’s World Cup in 2031, the women’s tournament in 2033 and, before that, the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles in which rugby sevens will play a significant part.

‘We have discussed that,’ Goren said, on American interest in bringing the Six Nations Stateside.

‘That doesn’t necessarily help on the high-performance side for USA rugby, but for the marketing side it does. What we’re constantly doing is trying to work with different nations to get the right level of competition. We play England in Washington in July.

‘We’ll also travel to Scotland in November. Ireland are playing New Zealand in Chicago then too.

‘There is lots going on. We have more USA games than we’ve had in years in 2025 and marquee events to subsidise that. As long as it’s collaborative and part of a strategy to pull people into the game, I think you’re going to see more of those type of events.

‘But my preference would be that the marquee teams coming in don’t come to play each other. I want them to come to play us – the USA.’

At the start of the year, Six Nations chief executive Tom Harrison did not rule out playing Championship games abroad. It is understood no concrete talks have yet taken place, but it is clear America is open to the opportunity.

In March, in partnership with World Rugby, USA Rugby announced a bumper series of matches for its men’s and women’s sides.

World Rugby chief executive Alan Gilpin has said that if rugby can tap into just one per cent of the American sports market, it will be a total game changer.

‘It’s feasible,’ said Goren, who worked with MLB and the NBA prior to moving into rugby.

‘Look at soccer. Before they put the 1994 World Cup in the USA, nobody thought soccer had a future in the US. Out of that came a professional league in MLS.

‘Now every kid in the USA can play soccer. Everyone started where USA rugby is today. By the time we have the 2031 World Cup, we’ll have a 12-year-old league that will be established and ready to really take off.

‘It’s our job to make the most of all these opportunities leading up to the World Cups and to engage people in rugby. There’s no reason why we can’t be a top sport in the US.

‘We’re all very excited because there’s something to point towards when we’re trying to grow the game here in the US.’

Behind the scenes, World Rugby’s development officers are making regular trips to the USA, charged with increasing the game’s appeal there.

Earlier this year, Six Nations social media accounts promoted former Wales star Louis Rees-Zammit signing with NFL side Jacksonville Jaguars.

That, as well as Smith’s Miami visit, might seem odd on the face of things, but it sums up rugby’s desperation to tap into the lucrative US market. Through his sponsorship deal with adidas, France captain Antoine Dupont also visited America earlier this year. MLR have looked into ways to get Dupont to play in the USA ahead of 2031.

That tournament is set to see World Cup games played in NFL stadiums. There is potential it will be played earlier in the year than the traditional September slot to avoid a clash.

‘We will be able to put on an event like no other,’ Goren said of what rugby fans can expect in 2031. ‘This will be a very different World Cup to ones in the past.

‘That’s not to disparage any other. I’m just from America and I think what we do better than anyone in the world is putting on entertaining sporting events.

‘Our buildings, facilities and culture is built that way. We are talking about Super Bowl-level venues. With the partners we’ll bring in and the venues we’ll go into, there’s no chance we’re going to miss on something. We will explore every single opportunity.

‘If you look at the Super Bowl and what they’re able to do with big stadiums now, we’ve got another six years before 2031. That will continue to evolve.

‘But we’re talking about that level of an event where you can have concerts and you can bring a stage on the field and then take it off.’

World Rugby want to bring in an eye-watering $1billion of ticket revenue from 2031. At a time when the sport is struggling financially across the globe, America is being seen as a golden ticket. There is no doubt the work is being done to make sure that happens, but the big question is will it work?

‘With the numbers I’ve heard, the opportunity is there if it’s done right,’ Goren said.

In their star women’s player Ilona Maher – the most followed rugby professional in the world – the USA have a trump card to play.

Maher, who had a stint in England with Bristol Bears earlier this year, helped the USA women’s sevens to Olympic bronze last year and has also recently become an adidas athlete, among a number of sponsorship deals she has signed.

Maher is a true global rugby force and her popularity went to another level when she appeared on Dancing With The Stars.

The Paris success prompted American businesswoman, investor and philanthropist Michele Kang to invest $4million in the Eagles’ women’s sevens programme.

Right now, rugby remains a minority sport in the USA, certainly compared to the behemoths that are the NBA, MLB and, to a lesser extent, MLS. In 2024, there were only 84,000 registered rugby players in the USA – a country which has a population of 340m. But moves to change that direction of travel are underway.

‘Americans follow winners,’ Goren said. ‘There is a clear strategy behind what we’re trying to do. We have to qualify for the 2027 (men’s) World Cup.

‘That is preparation for 2031. We do try to win everything all the time, because that’s how Americans are. I don’t want to say I’m hoping for a win against England because my coach will get really p****d off, but we think the game is going to be well received.

‘We would love to be able to sell out the facility and really showcase what USA rugby is like.’

Eight more EPS contracts 

Steve Borthwick is preparing to expand his roster of England players on ‘Enhanced EPS’ central contracts to the maximum threshold of 25 – an increase of eight from this season.

Once the Lions tour of Australia and the national team’s summer tour of Argentina and the USA have concluded, the head coach will finalise a reinforced group of key men, as part of the PGP deal agreed between the clubs and the union last autumn.

This will give Borthwick greater control over the management of more top players next season, as he continues to plan for the World Cup in 2027.

Conor O’Shea, the RFU’s director of performance rugby, said: ‘We will announce Enhanced EPS contracts for 25 players the week after the Lions tour finishes. We won’t be going into the autumn behind the game, which is a significant improvement.’

O’Shea also revealed talks are due to take place in an attempt to improve club-country co-operation in terms of player injury management. This follows the botched response to Exeter wing Immanuel Feyi-Waboso’s dislocated shoulder setback just before Christmas.

‘We have a meeting at the end of this month with all directors of rugby, heads of athletic performance and medical teams,’ said O’Shea.

‘We will be reviewing to see what we can do better. For the first year of a new agreement and something we’re all getting used to, I think it’s been really good.’

Welsh rugby being hidden away? 

At a time when Welsh rugby is struggling, there is serious concern the United Rugby Championship’s new TV deal with Premier Sports will hurt exposure to the sport in the country. 

Wales’ men’s side have lost their last 17 Tests and finished bottom of the Six Nations without a win for the past two years. Their women’s compatriots also recorded a wooden spoon finish in this year’s Six Nations.

The URC’s fresh agreement with Premier means there will be no matches featuring Wales’ four professional domestic sides on the BBC. There is still hope there will be free-to-air coverage on Welsh language channel S4C, but those discussions are ongoing.

Big boost for Wales – and Cardiff! 

One of Wales’ forgotten men is back with a bang after his explosion to prominence in the 2024 Six Nations was followed by a serious back injury.

Cardiff flanker Alex Mann scored against Scotland and England in last season’s Championship after being plucked from nowhere by then Wales coach Warren Gatland.

He was then left out of last year’s trip to Australia, with Gatland implying he needed to add extra weight to thrive at international level. Mann has done exactly that through ‘non-stop eating’ during the six months he had off the field to deal with bulging discs in his back. Now the 23-year-old is healthy once again, nine kilos heavier than before and firing on all cylinders.

He impressed for Cardiff with a try in their Judgment Day win over the Ospreys and is back in the picture for Wales’ summer tour of Japan.

Looking fly, says Fin! 

The focus of Rugby Confidential and England fly-half Fin Smith is on matters on the field.

But this column was delighted to receive a rare moment of sartorial praise from the Northampton playmaker this week.

‘Nice shirt that,’ Smith told Rugby Confidential at the Saints’ media day before their Investec Champions Cup semi-final with Leinster on Saturday.

For the record Fin, the salmon pink number was a Marks & Spencer special.