The ‘full house’ sign has gone up at Wellington’s Hnry Stadium for Saturday’s Super Rugby Pacific grand final between hosts Hurricanes and their northern neighbours, Chiefs.
And an Australian will be playing: former Wallaby Lalakai Foketi is likely to feature in the Chiefs’ game squad after playing in his side’s 49-12 thumping of defending champions Crusaders last weekend.
Organisers report that all available tickets were snapped up within 15 minutes of going on sale this morning (June 16).
Super Rugby Pacific CEO Jack Mesley says the full 34,500-seat stadium (also known as the Cake Tin) is a fitting reflection of the momentum built throughout the season.
The three-day Super Round at Christchurch’s new stadium early in the season was sold out and the Crusaders home games since at the stadium were all sold out.
“To see the grand final sell out so quickly is a fantastic result,” Mesley says.
Hurricanes CEO Tony Philp was elated by the full house response from fans.
“To see (the) stadium sold out for a Super Rugby Grand Final is a fantastic moment for our club and for the Hurricanes region,” he says.
“This is exactly what the club hopes for at the start of the season – the chance play in front of a packed stadium with a championship on the line.”
The Hurricanes smashed the Auckland-based Blues 51-21 in last weekend’s semi-finals; the Blues, who were the designated ‘lucky loser’ were coached by incoming Queensland Reds coach Vern Cotter.
Foketi, who was born in the Chiefs’ home ‘base’ of Hamilton, is a former Waratah and is off to Wesh club Ospreys after this season.
The grand final kicks off at 5.05pm AEST this Saturday (June 20).
FULL HOUSE FOR SUPER ROUND
The full economic impact of Super Round in Christchurch has beaten all forecasts, the organisers say.
It injected NZ$13.1 million (A$10.78m) into the city (double estimates) with 49,000 bed nights compared to a predicted 34,000 nights.
The three-day round attracted 73,187 spectators with 3924 spectators flying in from the US, UK and Australia.
Organisers also say more than 1.2 million viewers tuned into Sky NZ’s live broadcasts of the Round across the week with the opening match, Crusaders vs Waratahs, proving to be their most watched game of the season.
“What the report shows is that the impact extended well beyond the stadium; more than 16,500 domestic visitors travelled to Christchurch for the event, far exceeding expectations and driving more than $13 million in visitor spend,” Mesley says.
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