A sports marketing expert says the possibility a test match between the All Blacks and Wallabies could be played in the United States next year could hinge on television rights and sponsorship deals.
Associate Professor Ron Garland of the Waikato Management School cited last October's successful staging of
an NFL match at Wembley in London - which drew a crowd of about 82,000 - as an example of foreign sports breaking into new marketplaces.
"There are ways and means of filling stadiums if the television rights and the sponsorship deals that go around selling advertising space with [TV] channels - If that's all in place before the event then there's nothing to stop the organisers."
New Zealand Rugby Union chief executive Steve Tew said the union and the Australian Rugby Union had received a proposal to stage a test in Denver, Colorado, and it was "fair to say" both unions were looking at the idea.
"However, the proposal and our consideration of it are in the very early stages so it would be premature to say it is anything more than a possibility at this stage."
This year Tew said the rugby world wanted to see the game grow in the United States and the NZRU were taking "concrete steps" to help USA Rugby.
The five-year agreement between the two rugby unions included looking at opportunities for "high-profile matches" in the US as well as an age-grade competition between the two nations, sponsorship and merchandise agreements.
USA Rugby chief executive Nigel Melville told Newstalk ZB his organisation was keen to sell rugby to the American public and saw an Australia-New Zealand test as the best possible promotion.
Meanwhile, the Hong Kong public have been slow to react to this year's test match between the All Blacks and the Wallabies to be played at Hong Kong stadium onNovember 1.
A Hong Kong rugby union spokeswoman said ticket agencies still had seats available for the public and several corporate hospitality areas were also up for grabs.
