Nearcapacity Eden Park crowd expected

WELLINGTON: New Zealand Rugby is expecting a ‘‘nearcapacity’’ crowd of 47,000 to pack into Auckland’s Eden Park for the second Bledisloe Cup international against Australia on Sunday.

NZR said yesterday 40,000 tickets had already been snapped up.

‘‘It was fantastic to see so many fans come together in Wellington for the first test in more than a year, and after such an enthralling contest interest has gone to another level,’’ NZR head of professional rugby Chris Lendrum said.

‘‘We are now looking forward to bringing test rugby to New Zealand’s largest city and with more than 40,000 tickets sold it’s shaping as a special occasion.’’

Sunday’s enthralling 1616 draw was the first rugby test after a sevenmonth hiatus caused by the Covid19 pandemic. — Reuters