Christchurch buzzing ahead of All Blacks game, fans eager for a good match
MATCH DAY #MATCHDAY
KAI SCHWOERER/Stuff
Fans queue up outside Orangetheory Stadium prior to All Blacks and Argentina test.
Fans are queuing up and ready to go as the All Blacks take to the field in Christchurch for the first time in six years.
The All Blacks are playing Argentina at the Orangetheory Stadium on Saturday night, and tickets to the game at the 20,000-seat venue sold out.
The final few tickets for the test were snapped up on the morning of match day, an All Blacks spokesperson said in statement.
It said the calm conditions were the ideal conditions for the crowd to watch the first test in Christchurch since 2016.
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Alden Williams/Stuff
Kilimoa Tubucake and his son Bati Vakacegulagilagi, 6, were queuing for tonight’s match before the gates opened.
It was a cold night, but fans were jovial and keen for a good game, a Stuff visual journalist at the stadium said.
Kilimoa Tubucake and his son Bati Vakacegulagilagi, 6, were two of the dozens queued for tonight’s match before the gates opened.
Meanwhile, pubs and bars across the city are buzzing and packed ahead of the 7.45pm kick-off.
Businesses were set to reap the benefits, with hotels, bars and restaurants expecting to be busier than usual.
Michelle Cattell, owner of The Miller Bar in Lincoln Rd said she was anticipating “an awesome night”, with patrons stopping off before and after the match.
She was preparing for “about four-and-a-half hours of mayhem” before the game, and had employed extra staff and bought more stock to keep up with demand.
The bar was packed by 6pm on Saturday, a staff member said.
Staff answering the phones at pubs and bars in the central city were struggling to hear over the tables packed with fans.
They were packed and too busy to talk when a Stuff reporter called.