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The All Blacks will be back at Sky Stadium on October 11 to perform their haka, this time on a Sunday afternoon against the Wallabies.
A Wellington crowd that rivals the more than 37,000 who flocked to the British and Irish Lions in 2017 is on the horizon for the All Blacks’ Bledisloe Cup opener next month.
But the second test at Auckland’s Eden Park remains under a Covid cloud, with Dunedin’s Forsyth Barr Stadium on standby to host the match in the event Auckland remains at Covid-19 alert level 2.
When Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern confirmed a change to Alert Level 1 on Tuesday for all regions outside Auckland, plans were made for the long-awaited test against Dave Rennie’s Wallabies at Sky Stadium on Sunday, October 11.
SPORT OF HEAVEN
The visitors secured a bonus point in the first half with a series of attempts at Eden Park.
NZ Rugby announced on Monday that pre-sale for Wellington would begin next Tuesday (September 29) and public sales two days later, on October 1. Tickets are sure to be bought with no audience restrictions for the first All Blacks round in nearly a year. year.
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Wellington Rugby co-hosted the test with NZR and CEO Matt Evans said they were already in talks about likely capacity for the rare Sunday afternoon game.
Sky Stadium’s standard capacity is 34,500, but there is a provision for temporary seating.
In 2017, the Lions played to a crowd of 37,121 against the Hurricanes, then 37,283 against the All Blacks four days later, on July 1.
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More than 37,000 fans turned out to watch the Lions take on the All Blacks in Wellington in July 2017.
“There are two schools of thought: One is that it focuses on what it knows and sells the 34,500 we already have. But we have already anticipated that the demand could be quite high for this, a rather unique test match kick-off time in the afternoon, so we are considering the temporary seating option, ”Evans told Stuff.
Evans said a decision would be made in the next day or two as to increasing capacity to around 37,000.
“It’s a possibility, but nothing is locked in … we could be looking at other 2000-2500 temporary seats.”
In a statement, NZ Rugby said that tickets for the second Bledisloe on October 18 would go on sale the week of Monday October 5, pending confirmation from the Government that Auckland will move to Tier 1.
NZR Professional Rugby General Manager Chris Lendrum said: “We are confident that the match will continue at Eden Park, but we are also making responsible contingency plans as we have done so until the end of Covid-19.
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Kieran Read holds the Bledisloe Cup in Auckland last year after beating the Wallabies.
“Our preference and intention is to play the game at Eden Park, but if we cannot have crowds due to alert levels, we will seek to move the game to Forsyth Barr Stadium in Dunedin.
“Our primary concern is the health and safety of our fans and we will be guided by government councils and health authorities when Auckland’s alert levels are reviewed on Monday, October 5.”
The Sydney Daily Telegraph reported that the Wallabies would meet in Sydney this week and then fly to New Zealand next week, settling in Christchurch, where the government has assigned them quarantine centers and hotel training for 14 days.
They will then look to establish a base in Queenstown before flying in and out of Wellington and Auckland, if confirmed, for the October 11-18 games.
Renee McKay / Getty Images
Sam Cane will captain the All Blacks against Australia at Sky Stadium on October 11.
Meanwhile, Sky Stadium will be the first to welcome crowds below level 1 for the double NPC title on Friday night.
Wellington Pride hosts Manawatu at 4.35pm in the Farah Palmer Cup, followed by the Wellington Lions against Bay of Plenty in the Miter 10 Cup at 7.05pm
Evans expected a healthy crowd to emerge from Level 2, with adult tickets at $ 20 and a family pass at $ 40 for games that generally don’t draw the hordes on weekdays.
Especially, he said, in light of the Lions’ thrilling victory over Auckland at Eden Park on Sunday in Miter 10’s second and final game with all available All Blacks.
“It was a great performance and hopefully it worked up an appetite for some. We saw a great response around Super Rugby Aotearoa and we would be looking for something similar, ”said Evans.
“We know we have a role to play in the community, and sport is there to bring people together and put smiles on faces and hopefully some will come together and support Pride and Lions on Friday.”
