The defending 2011 Rugby World Cup champions, New Zealand All Blacks, will play their first match in the United States since 1980, selling out Soldier Field for Saturday's game against the U.S. national team, the USA Eagles.

The All Blacks, who have only played on two other occasions in the U.S. -- having previously competed in Berkeley, California in 1913 (with the U.S. having lost 51-3) and in San Diego in 1980 (with the USA Eagles losing 53-6) -- sold out Soldier Field in Chicago, with a capacity of 61,500-seat, making it the largest-ever audience for an international rugby contest on American soil.

"The All Blacks are a global brand like the New York Yankees or Manchester United or Barcelona," said USA Rugby President and CEO Nigel Melville to Latin Post. "They have not been here in a good number of years, but the good thing is when [fans] see the game, they see the athleticism, the skill level, and the way they play, they'll go 'wow.' This is an opportunity to showcase the game."

Rugby's popularity has been on the rise in America and the fact that the USA Eagles qualified into the 2015 Rugby World Cup will only increase its profile in the United States. NBC Sports, who have aired the 2011 Rugby World Cup and the Collegiate Rugby Championship (CRC), will televise Saturday's game in Chicago, as well as the 2015 Rugby World Cup and the 2016 Olympics -- which will debut rugby sevens at the Rio De Janeiro games.

"NBC has been very supportive of rugby and the growth of rugby, particularly sevens because of the Olympics because they are the Olympic channel," said Melville. "They've been very supportive of us over the last few years and this is a culmination of that relationship."

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The game versus the All Blacks is a boon for the USA Eagles, not just on the business side as far as promoting the sport but also in preparation for the 2015 Rugby World Cup. The USA Eagles will travel to England (host of the 2015 Rugby World Cup) and play in Pool B against South Africa, Samoa, Scotland, and Japan.

Much like the FIFA World Cup has helped with the popularity of soccer in America, Melville believes that participation in tournaments like the Olympics and the Rugby World Cup will help with the growth of the sport in the U.S., as well.

"The Rugby World Cup is the third largest sporting event in the world currently," said Melville. "So you have the World Cup of soccer number one, the Olympics number two and number three is the Rugby World Cup. It's significant around the world. Only the top 20 teams qualify, so it's great that we qualified and get to compete against the top teams in the world on the world's biggest stage. That's the sort of level [of play] that our national team has to be playing to grow the game here."

A match against the All Blacks is also key for the development of the USA Eagles team, who will have their hands full at the World Cup being in the same group as South Africa.

"We'll be playing against South Africa who beat New Zealand a few weeks ago," said Melville. "We have to play against these teams because if you don't play against them, then you can't get used to the level at which they play. You'd have no chance against them. You have to go play against them, you have to play against the best just to see the pace at which you will have to play when they get to the World Cup."

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Rugby is particularly gaining traction at the college level, with USA Rugby estimating that that 29,000 of its members play collegiate rugby and 35,000 playing senior club rugby. That kind of participation can only help with the growth of the sport in this country.

"It definitely getting more popular," said Melville. "We have high school kids playing and by the time they get to college, they're already playing, they're not converting to rugby. So it's becoming a sport of choice for kids a lot earlier now and it's a massive opportunity for growth. College rugby is growing and growing and growing and you're seeing more of it on TV. You'll see sevens, you'll see 15s, you'll see women's, you'll see men's and you'll see it continue to grow."

For proof of the popularity of rugby growth, not only worldwide but here in the United States, look no further than Felix Olazaran of the University of Texas Longhorn rugby team, who exemplifies the international flavor of the sport.

Olazaran's life experience can only be described as "global," considering the many roads he has traveled. Raised in Mexico, Felix studied abroad in England at a young age where he learned how to play rugby. Olazaran returned to Mexico and joined the Tecnológico de Monterrey rugby club team before attending the University of Texas. Olazaran was invited to play for the Longhorns after a recommendation from his U-23 Mexican national team coach.

Olazaran, whose team played in May's CRC and will participate in the 2015 CRC and the Varsity Club Championship, believes the All Blacks game against the USA Eagles is a great opportunity for new fans to get exposed to the excitement of rugby.

"The All Blacks coming for this test match is definitely huge for the development of the sport. Rugby is the fastest growing sport in the U.S. and having the current world champions and most iconic team in rugby come and play here is hopefully going to boost rugby's growing popularity around here," said the senior who is double majoring in computer science and economics to Latin Post. "This team plays at the highest level there is in rugby and I think its a great opportunity for people to see how real rugby looks like. The All-Blacks are very fun to watch, so it's exciting to have them come tour in the U.S."

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