Premiership side London Irish is "very close" to holding a match in New York next season, according to the BBC. The match, thought likely to take place close to St. Patrick's Day next year, "would be the first ever Premiership game to be staged outside England." Negotiations between Premiership Rugby, which is looking to enter the U.S. market, and USA Rugby "are at an advanced stage." Under the deal, the arrangement to play one game per season "could last for three years" (BBC, 5/26). In London, Gavin Mairs wrote Premier League football first "floated the idea" of staging a "39th game" outside of England in '08, but "it was shelved because of opposition from supporters and media." But Premiership Rugby "now appears to be on the verge of trumping its counterpart by taking a competitive league match to a potentially lucrative overseas market." It "is understood that the move already has the backing of the rest of the clubs in the Premiership and has been drafted into next season’s fixture schedule." The Rugby Football Union "would also have to agree with USA Rugby for the fixture to proceed but there is no expectation that the English governing body would oppose it" (TELEGRAPH, 5/26).