Wet weather stays away as packed out Northland crowd embraces the Lions challenge

The foul weather that had battered Northland stayed away and Whangarei was buzzing as the Lions and their rowdy supporters rolled into town.

After two days of pounding rain fans were treated to a clear night at a packed out Toll Stadium for the opening game of the British and Irish Lions tour as the visitors took on the Provincial Barbarians.

Supporters snaked their way along the fan trail from the Town Basin to the stadium, and pubs were full of singing Lions fans proudly wearing their red jerseys.

Delilah could be heard echoing from the central city as fans made the most of the local hospitality.

The local rugby fanatics got into the spirit as well, with many wearing their All Blacks jerseys and proudly waving flags during the game.

The game was a sell out with 20,000 people packing the stands.

Two days' worth of downpours meant fans who were lucky enough to snag a ticket on the embankment were sitting on more mud than grass.

Punters spoken to by the Herald were also not pleased with the toilet facilities.

With their faces painted black and wigs on, Barbarians fans John Tanner and Bex Erickson were stoked at how well the Barbarians were playing.

"It's been f***ing awesome, the first half has been awesome.

"It's so great to see the stands full, it's a fantastic thing for Whangarei to have. The town was just amazing today. We're Northland hard.

"It's the only chance some of these guys will get to play the Lions. They're going shit hot."

​Lisa Clemmett and Darrell Cooper are enjoying the game but are disappointed at the toilet facilities. "We lost 20 minutes of the game waiting for the toilet," Clemmett said.

Cooper said the Lions play was "shite".

Lions fan Jake Briggs said the tourists' performance was "at best, lacklustre".

"Whenever there is a Mexican wave you know that is a distraction from the on-field action."

A woman said she could see only seven portaloos for an entire stand, and when told there were more toilets higher up she found they were fenced off.

Another man said he was forced to urinate on a fence after the wait for a portaloo became unbearable.

The crowd were boisterous during the game, loudly supporting the Barbarians' willingness to play attacking rugby and turning down shots at goal.

The Lions fans were subdued early on in comparison, although they may have been the result of finding themselves on the wrong end of the scoreboard for much of the first half.

None of the trademark chanting and singing were on display from the Barmy Army, but the Kiwi crowd showed them a thing or two as Poi E reverberated around the ground.

The half-time entertainment was a tad underwhelming, despite it featuring a relatively big name. Australian Idol winner Stan Walker sang for the crowd, but his performance consisted of him singing one song near the sideline.

Publicans had been worried that the rain would keep punters away, but the streets were lined with footy fans by lunchtime on Saturday. The only Irish pub in Whangarei McMorrisey's had extended its premises and tripled its capacity for game day to 600.