A general view of Lincoln Financial Field© Evan Habeeb/Getty Images

Leicester Tigers have been forced to cancel their ground-breaking clash against the Rough Riders in the United States after USA Rugby refused to sanction the fixture. The Hemisphere Cup fixtures between the Crusaders and Saracens is also believed to be in some doubt.

The National Rugby Football League invited the Tigers to play the Rough Riders at Philadelphia Eagles' Lincoln Financial Field in August, in what would have been the first professional club fixture in America, but USA Rugby has refused to give the match official approval despite tickets being on sale for several weeks.

The NRFL is a commercial enterprise hoping to set up America's first professional rugby union league for commencement in 2016, but it is not affiliated with USA Rugby.

"Rugby is a rapidly growing game in the USA and the appearance of the Leicester Tigers would certainly have helped to create a buzz around the sport, together with NRFL's proposals for a professional game there," Tigers chief executive Simon Cohen told the club's official website.

"It is very disappointing that a fixture which would help to launch professional club rugby in the United States should be blocked by a national governing body charged with the development and growth of the game in their own country."

The decision has caused much controversy, with USA Rugby having sanctioned their own fixture against Harlequins - also in Philadelphia - weeks after the Tigers were due to play the Riders.

Cohen added: "Our experience in this case could lead you to question whether USA Rugby is more keen to protect its own commercial interests than to serve and promote the game of rugby as a whole in their country. That is extremely disappointing in a sport keen to expand its appeal throughout the world.

"As well as the fixture against the Rough Riders, the club has been planning to take rugby into the community, building on the impact the Tigers had in hosting a rugby coaching camp in the USA last year.

"We have established very strong relationships with several universities and colleges who are keen to develop their rugby program and we are keen to develop these further."

Cohen added via the Leicester Mercury: "USA Rugby should hang their heads in shame.

"I am sure that the Leicester Tigers playing a game in the United States would have been good for the development of the game and it is a shame that the very people charged with protecting the game should have taken this very short-sighted decision.

"I feel very sorry for our fans who have booked to go and we will try and offer some form of recompense if they contact us.

"We are still very determined to set up a number of community projects and coaching camps in the Philadelphia area. Those plans we had will be unaffected by USA Rugby's decision about the game because they do not have jurisdiction over what we can do, thank goodness."

RugbyLaw, the company that has launched the National Rugby Football League and which has organised the Saracens-Crusaders fixture, is still waiting for the Hemishpere Cup game in New Orleans to be approved. World Rugby, rather than the US governing body, is believed to hold the rights to sanction that game, however, hence Crusaders and Saracens officials expect it will go ahead on August 1 as scheduled, with Crusaders chief executive Hamish Riach saying he had received assurances the game would take place as planned. Stuff.co.nz has also reported that RugbyLaw founder Andrew Clements had said USA Rugby was in favour of the match.