It is being called "the rematch."

Two international rugby powerhouses, Ireland and New Zealand, will meet once again at Soldier Field, nine years after playing their first match on American soil.

Ahead of Saturday's match, the British International School of Chicago in Lincoln Park is exploring efforts to grow the sport and meet the local stars.

The very international sport of rugby has been part of this school's physical education curriculum for years. Athletics Director Steven Humphreys says rugby is an ideal sport for kids to develop resilience, collaboration, and hard work.

"Throwing and catching would be the main ones, but it's also the social and emotional skills," Humphreys said. 

There may be no better youth ambassador for the sport of rugby than 11-year-old Alice Ludwig.  

"I love being able to run. I love being able to have a ton of teammates that I can talk to and pass to, and I also love being slammed into the ground and also slamming other people into the ground," Ludwig said. 

Ludwig loved the sport so much that she joined a rugby club outside of school.

With an eye on the U.S. playing host to its first-ever men's and women's rugby world cups in the next eight years, Imagine Rugby's goal is to introduce one million kids to the sport by 2030. 

So far in Chicago, 27 schools are teaching Imagine Rugby in P.E., including the British School, and 7 schools have after-school programs.

Peyton Wall, Chicago Hounds, and MLR Rookie of the Year 2025, has been part of the sport's growth. 

Riding his wave of opportunity to the professional level, he is now serving as a youth coach. For the Indiana native, watching Ireland and New Zealand pack Soldier Field in 2016 was pivotal.

"Seeing that on TV and seeing the whole, like, stadium filled and then hearing that there's millions of eyes watching it live, like, just brings, like, joy to me. Like, hey, there's a future in this," Wall said. 

For Wall, that future is now. His dream is to represent American rugby on the world stage. 

Ludwig is dreaming of the same.

"It would mean the world to me. I would love that," Ludwig said.