New Zealand’s Super Rugby teams are welcoming the prospect of a “massive lift” from crowds flocking to their stadiums at the weekend for a long-awaited taste of the nation’s favorite sport.
New Zealanders yesterday celebrated their first day without COVID-19 restrictions in three months, even as much of the rest of the world grappled with the pandemic.
Auckland Blues chief executive Andrew Hore said that more than 20,000 tickets had been sold for Sunday’s Super Rugby Aotearoa match against the Wellington Hurricanes.
The 10-week domestic competition was organized after the wider Super Rugby tournament — which also involves teams from Australia, South Africa, Argentina and Japan — was postponed due to the pandemic.
“[Tickets] are really whipping out the door, which is fantastic, and I think it’s a sign of the fact that people want to go and have some form of social experience,” Hore told reporters yesterday. “It also helps the industry a lot, and the industries that feed off our industry. So it’s a big boost for the place.”
“We’re thinking in excess of 35,000 [will turn up], which will be an amazing result, and will make for a fantastic atmosphere and a massive lift for the players of both sides,” he said.
More than 12,000 tickets have been sold for the opening match between the Otago Highlanders and the Waikato Chiefs in Dunedin on Saturday.
The Highlanders are hoping for a crowd of more than 20,000, local media reported.
While the crowds would bring much-needed funds into the game, New Zealand Rugby on Monday said that it would be no “silver bullet” for its struggling finances.
The governing body has forecast a 70 percent decline in revenue due to the coronavirus shutdown.
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