Super Rugby Pacific reaches Super Round sell-out ahead of day three

Super Rugby Pacific Super Round has thrown up the sold-out sign ahead of day three at the new One New Zealand Stadium in Christchurch, during Saturday afternoon’s contest between the Hurricanes and the Brumbies.

Opening night of Super Round saw the Crusaders power past the NSW Waratahs in the first-ever competitive outing at Te Kaha, kickstarting life at their new home.

Super Round was originally hosted in Melbourne between 2022-24 at AAMI Park, before the organisation signed a one-year deal with the new Christchurch stadium for 2026.

After the successful first night, the remaining tickets were snapped up, as rugby fans and the Christchurch public clearly wanted a taste of the new stadium.

Super Rugby Pacific CEO Jack Mesley said that the weekend so far highlights that the event will go down as a success.

“When we set out to create a genuine festival of rugby, the vision was to bring our clubs, players and supporters together for one unforgettable weekend,” Super Rugby Pacific CEO Jack Mesley said.

“A complete sell-out across Friday, Saturday and Sunday shows that vision has been realised.

“A special piece of Super Rugby history has been written here in Christchurch.”

Leicester Fainga?anuku’s move to No.7 proved a success for the home side on Friday night, treating the packed 25,237 crowd to a positive performance in an unfamiliar position.

Rob Penney’s side ran out 35-20 winners over Dan McKellar’s Waratahs, before the Hurricanes and the Brumbies battled it out in the stadium’s second contest on the new turf.

The Hurricanes led the Canberra-based side 19-0 at half-time, before a superb try by David Feliaui helped the away side try to wrestle back some much-needed momentum.

The sold-out sign had gone up prior to the last three games of the weekend, which included the Blues against the Queensland Reds, the Highlanders taking on Moana Pasifika, and the Chiefs against the Fijian Drua.