40,000 people expected to cram Eden Park for the Blues and Hurricanes clash

The biggest Super Rugby crowd for a Blues home game in 15 years is expected to cram Eden Park tomorrow, with officials tipping it may reach the Auckland stadium’s reduced capacity of 41,000.

And in Dunedin for tonight’s Aotearoa opener between the Highlanders and Chiefs, sales nudged 20,000 with the prospect that, too, could reach close to the capacity of 22,800.

Dual sellouts would be a dream result for New Zealand Rugby and cash-strapped franchises as rugby-starved fans flock for the first top-level matches in three months.

As it stands, the near 60,000 tickets sold at both venues probably exceeded expectations.

The Highlanders will face the Chiefs at 7.05 pm today while the Blues will take on the Hurricanes at 3.35 pm tomorrow.

[Source: Stuff.Co]