"Top marks to the crowd." That was the message from Hawke's Bay Rugby Football Union's chief operating officer, Ian Condon, to the 10,500 fans who packed Napier's McLean Park for the Kelt Capital Magpies' 38-11 sixth-round Air New Zealand Cup loss to leaders Auckland last night.
"All the education has paid
off ... there's been a great switch from our first home Cup game against Wellington," Condon said.
He was referring to the way the fans were pre-purchasing their tickets and getting to the park early to avoid long queues.
"The 3000-4000 fans who used to buy their tickets on the day are now pre-purchasing them and that's avoiding all the congestion," Condon said.
He praised the work done by security and gate staff who had a "well-behaved crowd" to deal with. Many fans were decked out in black and white and were armed with banners, which contributed to the atmosphere.
Condon agreed the result didn't fulfil the expectations of the Hawke's Bay supporters, who applauded good play from both teams and were impressed with the final try of the night, scored by Magpies winger Ben Batger.
* The match - Page 14
