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Sports fans around the world have been shocked by the opening round of the Bledisloe Cup and it had nothing to do with the 16-16 draw, Reece Hodge, referee Paul Williams or that Rieko Ioane tried or didn’t try .
Instead, it was the crowd that caught the attention of “extremely jealous” international fans.
Just 24 hours before the Lakers won the deciding game of the NBA Finals against a handful of officials only, 31,020 fans attended the first All Blacks test of 2020.
Hagen Hopkins / Getty Images
The images of a huge crowd at the opening event of the Bledisloe Cup have astonished sports fans around the world.
All those fans crammed together with hardly a glimpse of the face mask, it has sent sports fans around the world for a spin. Many praised New Zealand’s response to the global Covid-19 pandemic.
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* All Blacks vs Australia: Wallabies were unlucky not to receive two penalties after Reece Hodge hit the post
* All Blacks vs Australia: ‘Feels like a loss’ as hosts take Bledisloe Cup draw hard
Former NBA star turned social media influencer Rex Chapman posted a photo of the Wellington crowd on Twitter.
Phil Walter / Getty Images
The All Blacks and Wallabies performing in front of a large crowd has shocked viewers abroad in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic.
“As Americans are sitting at home watching the NFL today, remember this happened in New Zealand today,” Chapman wrote.
“(FWIW – They had an organized national response to the coronavirus)”.
Chapman’s post has 1000 comments and has been retweeted over 10,000 times with over 39,000 likes.
Another American, Prescott Rossi, also took to Twitter when he saw the game in the United States.
“Australia and New Zealand are playing rugby at the moment. Lots of people in Wellington. It must be nice.”
Cian Tracey, a rugby writer for the Irish Independent, wrote on Twitter: “It’s amazing to see such a large crowd in New Zealand for the Bledisloe Cup.
“It’s hard to believe that we live in the same world.
On Reddit, another picture of the Wellington crowd also surprised.
“Extremely jealous. But they deserve it. I hope we all get out of this pandemic,” wrote one sports fan.
“I am extremely jealous of their functional government. It must be good to have a competent government and intelligent citizens who work for the eradication of the virus from the population,” said another.
Hagen Hopkins / Getty Images
More than 31,000 fans watched the Bledisloe Cup event between the All Blacks and the Wallabies.
However, not everyone on Reddit was celebrating New Zealand’s response to the Covid-19 pandemic and a packed crowd.
“Well, I guess in a month or two we will know if the coronavirus was really eradicated. Best of luck to stay in good health! “
“It is very good to see it, but I would have thought it would be wise to maintain a certain social distancing.
“I really hope this is good news and not premature. I guess only time will tell. We hope it really gets eradicated there, ”wrote another Reddit contributor.
