A crowd expected to number more than 10,000 for the ultimate Battle of the Bays Ranfurly Shield match at McLean Park in Napier today will be even more in the picture than the other recent throngs at the ground.
Hawke's Bay Rugby Union marketing manager Jay Campbell said last night the television images of the Hawke's Bay Magpies' second defence of the shield, against northeastern neighbours the Bay of Plenty Steamers, will be displayed on two screens, possibly a first for the park.
They will be accompanied by broadcast information on refereeing decisions, relayed by the ground announcer as was done in a second-half trialling of the new ITM Cup move during last week's first defence and 41-0 victory over Otago.
The two screens will be sited either side of the 9000-seat TicketDirect embankment stand, which was erected for the September 6 test between the All Blacks and Argentina and which will remain in place until the end of the ITM Cup season next month, albeit with some modifications before the Magpies' next home match, against Wellington on the night of October 1.
Today's match will be the Magpies' last cup match of the season in the mid-afternoon Saturday timeslot which, blessed with regular fine weather, was a feature of Hawke's Bay's 1966-69 shield era.