McLean Park expecting ABs sellout

Napier Mayor Bill Dalton (right) with Hawke's Bay Rugby Union CEO Mike Bishop. Photo / Duncan Brown

When it comes to putting bums on seats, Napier Mayor Bill Dalton has suddenly found himself in two minds about where he might place his own for the September 6 All Blacks test against Argentina at McLean Park.

A month out from the game, he's taken the chance to try out the seats in the uncovered temporary grandstand being built across the embankment at the city end of the ground, and proclaims: "The embankment is going to be probably the best place to watch the game. It will be the best view they could ever have."

As it happens, his own plans for the night are already locked in, and he will be seated with NZRFU and other dignitaries in the permanent and covered Harris Stand.

While having never reached the rugby-playing heights of his late father, All Black Doug Dalton, in 1935-38, the mayor says he tries to get to a rugby test somewhere when he can, and he was at McLean Park for its only previous rugby test when the All Blacks beat Samoa in 1996.

The enthusiasm at the park yesterday came with a measure of awe as he marvelled that the already impressive-looking bank of temporary seats had in the fortnight of construction to date reached just half the height of its eventual 42 rows.

It will provide about 9500 seats, boosting ground capacity to about 22,750, of which more than 2000 seats are still to be sold.

They include seats in the Harris Stand, which have just become available and will go on sale on Monday, says Hawke's Bay Rugby Union marketing manager Jay Campbell.

"People have been saying it's sold out, but it isn't yet," he said, confident the Napier climate and the Hawke's Bay sporting fanaticism would attract the biggest crowd to the park since the halcyon days of Hawke's Bay's 1966-69 Ranfurly Shield era.

"We need to show the rest of New Zealand how passionate we are about the footy in Hawke's Bay," he said.

The public will get an impression of how it will look on Saturday when the Hawke's Bay Magpies ITM squad plays a pre-season game against Waikato, and traditional local big-match rivals Taradale and Havelock North face off in the final of the Maddison Trophy premier grade clubs final.

A Magpies training run yesterday, in which newcomers played for their locker positions in the changing room, also brought some reality to the moment as the mayor watched from his seat in in the sun with union CEO Mike Bishop.

Freed from the exercise for a few minutes, star player Richard Buckman said he would be at the test, despite the commitments to the ITM Cup, and the fact he hasn't, yet, realised a dream of playing for New Zealand.

Just 24 hours earlier, the Magpies will have played Northland in Whangarei and Buckman says he hopes there are no flight delays so the team makes it back to Napier in time.

"Hopefully we'll have a packed-out house, and the game will give us a chance to catch up with a few of the boys," said Buckman, 25.

After a good Super 15 season for the Highlanders, he still hopes to make his way up and eventually be in the All Blacks.

"I guess it's everyone's dream to get there. But I'm going to have a good season with Hawke's Bay and then head back down to the Highlanders down south."

While he has sunk his toes into a bit of rugby league in the past, he says rugby union is definitely his future.

Mr Campbell last night also revealed a limited number of "sight-restricted" seats at a reduced price.