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Home Nations Rugby Tours

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unc.si.
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Re: Home Nations Rugby Tours

Post by unc.si. »

Was at a wedding yesterday so not caught up with the England and Ireland games. Gutted for Ireland though. To come that close and lose a gig lead like that is awful.
Going to be tough to pick themselves up for the final test.

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Re: RE: Re: Home Nations Rugby Tours

Post by liquidfootball2 »

unc.si. wrote:Was at a wedding yesterday so not caught up with the England and Ireland games. Gutted for Ireland though. To come that close and lose a gig lead like that is awful.
Going to be tough to pick themselves up for the final test.
A real shame to collapse so badly but altitude played its part and i still think they have a slight chance. Schmidt did rest five players from the first test possibly thinking their better chance would be when they were back at sea level for the third test.

You have to think all the momentum is with the boks though after such an unlikely and remarkable comeback.

After New Zealand's expected win and England's historic triumph this is the only series still 'live' going into week three's matches.

On England, I thought they were all heroic in defence but looking ahead Mike Brown dropped a few high balls and at times also missed opportunities to clear his lines, so Jones may possibly make a change with Alex Goode getting his chance for the final test.

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Re: Home Nations Rugby Tours

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Steve Hansen saying Eddie Jones' comments in the media have given England a psychological advantage over Australia.

"Cheika's not come back, to the point where it seems he's letting Eddie bully him in the media.
I don't know if that's because they know each other well. That's gone onto the park hasn't it?"

The almost forgotten fourth southern hemisphere nation Argentina have beaten France 39-19 in the first of a two-test series. Meanwhile Scotland struggled to beat Japan in their tour match.

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Re: Home Nations Rugby Tours

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Teimana Harrison will replace the injured James Haskell in England’s team to face Australia on Saturday as Eddie Jones’s side seeks a series whitewash in the third and final Test.

Haskell, who made 21 tackles in the 23-7 victory in Melbourne last weekend which gave England an unassailable 2-0 lead in the series, left the ground wearing a protective boot and has failed to recover in time to play in Sydney.

Harrison, the New Zealand-born Northampton flanker, will come in having made his debut in the pre-tour win against Wales at Twickenham this month.

England’s head coach, Jones, is due to announce his team for the final Test on Thursday with Marland Yarde set to come in on the wing if Jack Nowell does not come through concussion return-to-play protocols.

I think the Wallabies will make it extremely difficult and will be desperate to avoid a 3-0 whitewash, they're likely to have far more incentive than England who have already achieved their main objective. While Eddie Jones is talking the game up as you would expect him to, it'll be an achievement to keep their levels of motivation as high as that seen previously in the series.

The Springboks - Ireland series is going right to the wire but all the momentum must now be with the Boks for the decider at Port Elizabeth.

While Ireland can welcome back fresh legs and are safely back at sea level, they must be hugely disappointed to have not held on to what seemed a completely unassailable lead going into the final quarter of the second test. The Boks must feel as though they've come back from the dead and will surely be a formidable obstacle now, they seem well set up for big comeback series victory.

New Zealand have looked a league apart from Wales who have competed well for parts if not for all of the previous two tests. I think for any side to match the 80 minute intensity and skill of the AB's is asking a lot and Wales have plenty of positives to take. Possibly their not too far away if they can find a good lineout specialist and improve their fitness to compete for the full eighty.

The strength and depth of New Zealand rugby is quite frightening in that they can lose two stellar men in Richie McCaw and Dan Carter and almost seamlessly just carry on dominating teams.

Predicting wins for NZ and South Africa with England having the best chance of a win and series whitewash.

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Re: Home Nations Rugby Tours

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Update:- Team selected, Harrison in as expected with Jack Nowell passed fit.

Sky reports....

Eddie Jones has brought in Teimana Harrison for James Haskell for England's third match with Australia

England have named Teimana Harrison to replace the injured James Haskell at openside flanker for Saturday's final Test against Australia in Sydney.

Harrison comes into an otherwise unchanged XV in place of Haskell, who has not recovered from a foot injury suffered in the series-clinching win in Melbourne. 

New Zealand-born Harrison will win his second cap after making his debut in the pre-tour clash with Wales at Twickenham, while winger Jack Nowell, who this week has been undergoing the return-to-play protocols for concussion, has kept his place ahead of Marland Yarde.

"You have to work extremely hard to earn an England cap so there was no temptation to make changes for the sake of change," said England head coach Eddie Jones. "To play for England you have to be in the best 23 and that's what this selection represents.

"Teimana comes into the side at seven for James Haskell whose foot hasn't quite recovered from Saturday. Teimana has trained well throughout the tour and deserves his spot.

"He's an excellent defender and his robustness will be important to us at the start of the game. Jack Clifford is unlucky to miss out, but will finish the game for us.

Eddie Jones says he hopes to have all of his best players fit and available for Saturday's third Test with Australia

"We've treated this week like a dress rehearsal for the World Cup because that what we're always building towards.

"To win a World Cup you have to win three big games in a row - we've won two so this third game is the most important game we'll play all year. It will be a good indication of where we are as a team.

"We're looking forward to playing in front of a full house at Allianz Stadium on Saturday and we are confident we can finish the job off with a win." 


England: 15 Mike Brown, 14 Anthony Watson, 13 Jonathan Joseph, 12 Owen Farrell, 11 Jack Nowell, 10 George Ford, 9 Ben Youngs; 1 Mako Vunipola, 2 Dylan Hartley (c), 3 Dan Cole, 4 Maro Itoje, 5 George Kruis, 6 Chris Robshaw, 7 Teimana Harrison, 8 Billy Vunipola.

Replacements: 16 Jamie George, 17 Matt Mullan, 18 Paul Hill, 19 Joe Launchbury, 20 Courtney Lawes, 21 Jack Clifford, 22 Danny Care, 23 Elliot Daly.

 

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Re: Home Nations Rugby Tours

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NZ starting to play a bit more cohesively than in the first 2 tests and Wales not looking quite as good. Wales really had to score just before half time. If they don't get the next try we could be looking at a 40 pointer.

edit - too late. NZ score again.

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Re: Home Nations Rugby Tours

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Wales need JD and Liam Williams to show their class and restore a bit of pride.

Kane off for 10 minutes so Wales have to get this back under control. Have to win the next 10.

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Re: Home Nations Rugby Tours

Post by forestfan »

Is the All Blacks' dominance the biggest threat to rugby as a world sport? They've lost perhaps their two greatest players but still seem miles ahead of anyone else. They were held back for a while by that inability to get over the line in a World Cup, but now there's a risk that future World Cups will be a foregone conclusion.

They could start by restricting their recruitment of players from the Pacific islands...

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Re: Home Nations Rugby Tours

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I thought it was a hugely impressive display from the AB's, totally dominant but really fluent this week with some brilliant running and handling skills.

They've used players from the Pacific islands for years, tbf i think all countries take advantage where they can but NZ have probably been doing it to a larger extent and for far longer than most. The geographical proximity and the fact that the all blacks are the very best obviously contributes to the desire of so many Fijian, Tongan and Samoans to both play their rugby there and hopefully also one day be an all black themselves.

Finally we'll get a far better idea of how good this side is when they play away in Australia in August. The rugby championship is a competition where Australia have competed well with NZ in the past, even if inevitably the AB's have held much the upper hand for the majority of the time.
Last edited by liquidfootball2 on 25 Jun 2016, 12:13, edited 1 time in total.

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Re: Home Nations Rugby Tours

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Cracking game in Sydney. Foley levels it up at 25-25 after a Hooperman try

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Re: RE: Re: Home Nations Rugby Tours

Post by Moist von Lipwig »

unc.si. wrote:Cracking game in Sydney. Foley levels it up at 25-25 after a Hooperman try
I can't remember any recent series that has just been so full on for every game.

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Re: Home Nations Rugby Tours

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Yeah. Completely different game from last week, but every game is all out commitment. Great series.

England back in front and favourites, but anything could happen to be honest.

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Re: RE: Re: Home Nations Rugby Tours

Post by Moist von Lipwig »

unc.si. wrote:Yeah. Completely different game from last week, but every game is all out commitment. Great series.
It's almost as if they care Image

That Farrell kick should seal it. No way should they not be able to grind the last 10 mins out on opposition territory.

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Re: Home Nations Rugby Tours

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Blackwash for NZ at home to Wales

Whitewash for England away in Australia

A staggering achievement from Eddie Jones and the boys, 45 years since Australia were last whitewashed 0-3 by anybody.

(The Lions haven't even achieved it - although they have won 2-0 in a two test as opposed to three test series and 3-1 in a four test series)

Now can South Africa or Ireland win their decider? (It would be brilliant if the Irish won as they looked completely shot and devastated after last week's unlikely and amazing late, late turnaround)

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Re: Home Nations Rugby Tours

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Ireland went close but South Africa win 19-13.

I think South Africa look quite significantly weaker than Australia and a few miles below NZ so perhaps an opportunity lost.

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Re: Home Nations Rugby Tours

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Under 20s World Cup Final

At half time it's

Ireland 0 England 21

It's vital that the Jones' renaissance permeates down to all levels of English rugby especially with the seniors and the Saxons doing so well in winning their southern hemisphere tours, and now the under 20s look like they're well on their way to continuing the good work.

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Re: Home Nations Rugby Tours

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Ireland 21 England 45

England win the U20s Rugby World Cup


English rugby hasn't been this strong since 2003

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Re: Home Nations Rugby Tours

Post by Spinynorman »

What Eddie Jones has achieved already is quite remarkable. But it does beg the question as to what is up with our current crop of coaches.

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Re: Home Nations Rugby Tours

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Spinynorman wrote:What Eddie Jones has achieved already is quite remarkable. But it does beg the question as to what is up with our current crop of coaches.
Well, it's the same in most other sports - it took an Australian to revive our cricketing fortunes as well, and our next football manager is almost certainly going to have to be foreign if we don't want another Wally/Turnip episode in our history...

While each sport has its own specific issues, we do seem to have difficulty producing coaches who can succeed at a world level in major sports across the board, so there must be some common themes to it.

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Re: Home Nations Rugby Tours

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forestfan wrote:
Spinynorman wrote:What Eddie Jones has achieved already is quite remarkable. But it does beg the question as to what is up with our current crop of coaches.
Well, it's the same in most other sports - it took an Australian to revive our cricketing fortunes as well, and our next football manager is almost certainly going to have to be foreign if we don't want another Wally/Turnip episode in our history...

While each sport has its own specific issues, we do seem to have difficulty producing coaches who can succeed at a world level in major sports across the board, so there must be some common themes to it.
I think we are okay at producing cycling coaches aren't we?

Maybe not much else?

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Re: Home Nations Rugby Tours

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What impresses me most about Eddie Jones is the way he so quickly recognizes the way the game's going, where his team's weaknesses are being exposed and any mistakes he's made that may have contributed to them.

He hooked both Luke Burrell in the first test and Teimana Harrison today after about 20-30 mins, no waiting until well after half time for him. Hodgson might learn something there about mistakes like Wilshere.

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Re: Home Nations Rugby Tours

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In football you only get three substitutions though, so can't gamble on an early tactical change like that. I think Mourinho's done it the odd time, but even making changes at half time is relatively rare when not enforced.

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Re: RE: Re: Home Nations Rugby Tours

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forestfan wrote:In football you only get three substitutions though, so can't gamble on an early tactical change like that. I think Mourinho's done it the odd time, but even making changes at half time is relatively rare when not enforced.
Good point Forest, that's a big limitation and if there's doubt then waiting could be better. Possibly it also depends on the ability of the coach to recognize when something is obviously a mistake.

José Mourinho's done it several times, if something's obviously a mistake it's best correcting now before you're really punished. I think Rooney rotated for Wilshere fell into that category.

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Re: Home Nations Rugby Tours

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Eddie Jones has done it with pretty much the same crop of players as were available to Lancaster as well.
Didn't agree with Hartley as captain at the time but in hindsight it was a brilliant move. He's put Robshaw into the right position and turned him from a pretty limited 7 into a genuine world class 6. I don't know how he's done it but he's also turned Haskell from an aimless big puppy dog into a real force around the pitch.
He's recognised that Itoje is easily good enough to be a starter (potential to be one of the great players) and just generally seems to get that but extra from everyone.
England are a good team. Maybe just short of a real world class back. We don't have a Ben Smith, Dagg,Folau or a Liam Williams.

Disappointed for Ireland but shouldn't forget that they win the first test. Not many people come to SA and beat the boks in their back yard

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Re: Home Nations Rugby Tours

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unc.si. wrote:Eddie Jones has done it with pretty much the same crop of players as were available to Lancaster as well.
Didn't agree with Hartley as captain at the time but in hindsight it was a brilliant move. He's put Robshaw into the right position and turned him from a pretty limited 7 into a genuine world class 6. I don't know how he's done it but he's also turned Haskell from an aimless big puppy dog into a real force around the pitch.
He's recognised that Itoje is easily good enough to be a starter (potential to be one of the great players) and just generally seems to get that but extra from everyone.
England are a good team. Maybe just short of a real world class back. We don't have a Ben Smith, Dagg,Folau or a Liam Williams.

Disappointed for Ireland but shouldn't forget that they win the first test. Not many people come to SA and beat the boks in their back yard

Yes what Eddie Jones has done is quite staggering. After yesterday he's probably not resting on his laurels but rather thinking 40 points conceded is far too many, we can't become the world's best team doing that. What they did show yesterday and throughout the series though, is that every time there's a question put to them as after the second test - 'but how can you score the tries?' - they've come up with the answers.

NZ are clearly still the team setting all the standards the others aspire to, and still look by some distance the number one team in the world. However England, the number two ranked team, don't play them for two years, and with the ridiculous rate of improvement under Eddie Jones, it would be a fool to say that when England next meet the All Blacks it won't be number one versus two and it won't be a serious European challenge at the home of the World Champions.

When the dust is settled after Ireland's tour of South Africa, they will do well to think of the positives and winning the first test of the series, but I can't help feeling that there will be an overriding sense of disappointment at not grabbing a great opportunity.

South Africa look to be in transition and possibly struggling to be really competitive at the moment, certainly by their standards. They look by some way the weakest of the three big southern hemisphere powers, so while progress has been made by Ireland, it must be mixed with real regret at not winning the series when it looked there for the taking.

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Re: Home Nations Rugby Tours

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Ireland are in transition as well though - already in the process of moving on from the O'Driscoll/O'Connell era, they were also missing the likes of Sexton, Kearney, O'Brien etc. through injury. They did well to be competitive in the series and it shows how far SA have fallen with the departure of their own golden generation.

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Re: RE: Re: Home Nations Rugby Tours

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forestfan wrote:Ireland are in transition as well though - already in the process of moving on from the O'Driscoll/O'Connell era, they were also missing the likes of Sexton, Kearney, O'Brien etc. through injury. They did well to be competitive in the series and it shows how far SA have fallen with the departure of their own golden generation.
Agreed Forest, South Africa really do look a shadow of their former selves atm which is possibly why it's a little disappointing that even this Irish team didn't grab an opportunity that might not come around again.

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Re: Home Nations Rugby Tours

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Just watching the super rugby final from Wellington where the (Wellington) Hurricanes are playing the (Johannesburg) Lions in front of what seems a surprisingly half empty stadium.

The standard of this competition is quite outstanding and a revalation to anyone used to watching our own domestic union. Top southern hemisphere stars are on show including the brilliantly skilled Beauden Barrett who looks the next real superstar following Carter's retirement.

The weather has been dreadful in the windy city but to not have a full stadium is another facet of rugby there that just wouldn't happen here although possibly the stadium is too big for their population.

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Re: Home Nations Rugby Tours

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The stadiuTickets returned from scalpers with a guilty conscience were among those that gave rugby fans another shot at seeing Saturday's Super 18 final in Wellington.

For some Hurricanes fans chasing seats, it was third time lucky when a batch of 200 tickets suddenly went on sale at Wellington's Michael Fowler Centre on Friday afternoon.

Some tickets were returned after Hurricanes chief executive Avan Lee called about half a dozen scalpers when he saw tickets on TradeMe at wildly inflated prices.

Rugby fans grab some of the extra 200 tickets released on Friday afternoon.
MAARTEN HOLL/ FAIRFAX NZ
Rugby fans grab some of the extra 200 tickets released on Friday afternoon.
Fans eager to see the Hurricanes play Johannesburg's Lions dashed to the Ticketek office at 3pm to get the precious tickets. Jeremy Cook of Greytown was first in line.

Cook admitted to getting a jog on after hearing of the sale. Like other fans, he'd tried unsuccessfully to get seats earlier this week.

On Tuesday, fans queued at the Michael Fowler Centre in Wellington for tickets, and many were disappointed.
KATARINA WILLIAMS/ FAIRFAX NZ
"I was online. And I tried and tried and tried on my phone. Then I ran down to the railway station, and queued up for about an hour. And it was looking good. A couple of guys got them - but by the time I got to the front, it was all gone."

A friend tipped him off to Friday's sale after reading of it on social media.
Much like the Hurricanes, taking a tilt at the title after being losing finalists twice, Cook said he was "third time lucky".
Weaver spent much of the week living his rugby dreams vicariously through his customers.

Weaver, who works in sales, said he managed to get plenty of tickets for his "punters" but not for himself. "My priorities came second."
He was happy to get his own seat soon after 3pm.

Sharelle Peck said she heard about the sale on Facebook.
She arrived soon after Cook, and said some family members secured tickets earlier this week so she was glad to be in on the action too.

The sale got off to a languid start, with fans initially arriving at a rate of about one a minute.
Several, including Cook, had no luck getting tickets despite trying online earlier this week. On Tuesday, the match sold out within minutes of tickets going on public sale.

RANGE OF SOURCES

Lee said returned tickets could come back from a range of sources, but he knew "with absolute confidence" that some were returned by would-be scalpers."We're just happy that there were some tickets available for other people."

Friday's tickets were sold for $35, $60, or $80. The priciest "platinum" seats were positioned near the halfway line.
Silver tickets were roughly around the 22m line, and bronze seats were more likely to be behind the posts.
To avoid any more scalping on the eve of the game, only two tickets were being sold per person.



- Stuff









Sm was sold out, people buying for a quick profit had snapped up the tickets and were trying to onsell them for huge profits, :x :x

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Re: RE: Re: Home Nations Rugby Tours

Post by liquidfootball2 »

wahine wrote:The stadiuTickets returned from scalpers with a guilty conscience were among those that gave rugby fans another shot at seeing Saturday's Super 18 final in Wellington.

For some Hurricanes fans chasing seats, it was third time lucky when a batch of 200 tickets suddenly went on sale at Wellington's Michael Fowler Centre on Friday afternoon.

Some tickets were returned after Hurricanes chief executive Avan Lee called about half a dozen scalpers when he saw tickets on TradeMe at wildly inflated prices.

Rugby fans grab some of the extra 200 tickets released on Friday afternoon.
MAARTEN HOLL/ FAIRFAX NZ
Rugby fans grab some of the extra 200 tickets released on Friday afternoon.
Fans eager to see the Hurricanes play Johannesburg's Lions dashed to the Ticketek office at 3pm to get the precious tickets. Jeremy Cook of Greytown was first in line.

Cook admitted to getting a jog on after hearing of the sale. Like other fans, he'd tried unsuccessfully to get seats earlier this week.

On Tuesday, fans queued at the Michael Fowler Centre in Wellington for tickets, and many were disappointed.
KATARINA WILLIAMS/ FAIRFAX NZ
"I was online. And I tried and tried and tried on my phone. Then I ran down to the railway station, and queued up for about an hour. And it was looking good. A couple of guys got them - but by the time I got to the front, it was all gone."

A friend tipped him off to Friday's sale after reading of it on social media.
Much like the Hurricanes, taking a tilt at the title after being losing finalists twice, Cook said he was "third time lucky".
Weaver spent much of the week living his rugby dreams vicariously through his customers.

Weaver, who works in sales, said he managed to get plenty of tickets for his "punters" but not for himself. "My priorities came second."
He was happy to get his own seat soon after 3pm.

Sharelle Peck said she heard about the sale on Facebook.
She arrived soon after Cook, and said some family members secured tickets earlier this week so she was glad to be in on the action too.

The sale got off to a languid start, with fans initially arriving at a rate of about one a minute.
Several, including Cook, had no luck getting tickets despite trying online earlier this week. On Tuesday, the match sold out within minutes of tickets going on public sale.

RANGE OF SOURCES

Lee said returned tickets could come back from a range of sources, but he knew "with absolute confidence" that some were returned by would-be scalpers."We're just happy that there were some tickets available for other people."

Friday's tickets were sold for $35, $60, or $80. The priciest "platinum" seats were positioned near the halfway line.
Silver tickets were roughly around the 22m line, and bronze seats were more likely to be behind the posts.
To avoid any more scalping on the eve of the game, only two tickets were being sold per person.



- Stuff









Sm was sold out, people buying for a quick profit had snapped up the tickets and were trying to onsell them for huge profits, :x :x
Thanks Wahine what a pity for the real rugby fans, still the quality of this competition has been outstanding and Wellington Hurricanes look worthy winners (if it ends that way).

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