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Thursday, March 3rd, 2016

FUTURE U.S. OLYMPIANS FEATURED IN NBC SPORTS GROUP’S USA SEVENS RUGBY TOURNAMENT COVERAGE THIS WEEKEND

NBC, NBCSN and NBC Sports Live Extra to Present Seven Hours of the HSBC Sevens World Series From Las Vegas

Carlin Isles Headlines Future U.S. Olympians Slated to Compete This Weekend

Live Coverage Begins Tomorrow at 9 p.m. ET on NBCSN

NBC’s Coverage Airs Sunday at 1 p.m. ET, NBCSN Presents Finals at 6 p.m. ET

STAMFORD, Conn. – March 3, 2016 – Future U.S. Olympians will be featured in NBC Sports Group’s seven hours of USA Sevens Rugby Tournament coverage this weekend, beginning tomorrow night with live coverage from Las Vegas at 9 p.m. ET on NBCSN. Rugby returns to the Olympic Games in Rio this summer after a 92-year hiatus.

The USA Eagles will be led this weekend by speedster Carlin Isles and captain Madison Hughes, and many members of the team are expected to make the U.S. Olympic roster. Last year in Las Vegas, the USA Eagles shut out Canada 20-0, and will face the Canadians once again in pool play on Friday night.

One of the premier Rugby Sevens events in the world, the USA Sevens Rugby Tournament is the fifth of 10 rounds in the 2015-16 HSBC Sevens World Series. NBC Sports Group’s presentation of the tournament will feature live coverage of full matches, as well as highlights from the three-day event. Through four rounds, the USA Eagles have amassed 49 points, which ranks seventh out of 17 teams.

Following tomorrow night’s coverage at 9 p.m. ET, NBCSN’s presentation continues Saturday at 7:30 p.m. ET. Action shifts to NBC on Sunday at 1 p.m. ET, followed by coverage of the finals at 6 p.m. ET on NBCSN. NBC Sports Live Extra – NBC Sports Group’s live streaming product for desktops, mobile devices, tablets, and connected TVs – will provide streaming coverage.

Veteran play-by-play announcer Bob Papa will call the matches for NBC, NBCSN and NBC Sports Live Extra. Papa will be joined in the booth by former USA Sevens captain and USA Rugby World Cup participant Brian Hightower. Tracy Wilson will report from the sidelines.

Sevens rugby returns to the Olympic Games in Rio this year following a 92-year hiatus. The USA Eagles have qualified for the Olympics and will aim to defend their gold medal won at the 1924 Olympics in Paris, France. Played on the same size field as traditional 15-player rugby, sevens rugby is played with just seven players per team. Matches have seven-minute halves, with two-minute intervals for pool and knock-out matches.

Following is the telecast schedule for NBC and NBCSN’s coverage of the 2016 USA Sevens Rugby Tournament.

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NBC Sports Group’s Rugby Coverage

Since the debut of the Collegiate Rugby Championship in 2010 on NBC, NBC Sports Group has continued to increase the breadth of its coverage and promote the sport of rugby on television in the United States. In addition to serving as the U.S. television home of the Penn Mutual Collegiate Rugby Championship and Penn Mutual Varsity Cup, NBC Sports Group has televised the Rugby Sevens World Series since 2011, and has presented high-profile international exhibition matches, including the USA Eagles vs. New Zealand All Blacks from historic Soldier Field in Chicago, Ill., in 2014 on NBC.

–NBC Sports Group—