Americas Rugby News Rugby news from across the Americas!
Record crowds await the Maori All Blacks in South America. The New Zealand side will play against Brazil in São Paulo and Chile in Santiago. The matches are part of a three match tour of the Americas which begins this coming Saturday against the USA at Chicago’s Soldier Field.
Americas Rugby News has learned that ticket sales for both matches in South America have been very encouraging. Both games are to break the respective official attendance records for rugby in Brazil and Chile.
Chile will play host to the Maori All Blacks on Saturday November 17 at the Estadio San Carlos de Apoquindo. Located in the Las Condes district of Santiago the venue is a soccer stadium owned by the Club Deportivo Universidad Católica.
The official attendance capacity at the Estadio San Carlos de Apoquindo is 15,000 for sport. When the Federation de Rugby de Chile confirmed the venue they were seeking a record attendance and they have succeeded. The largest recorded crowd for rugby in Chile is 8,000. At present ticket sales for the match stand at 9,000.
The Confederação Brasileira de Rugby announced a record attendance of 10,480 on December 04 2015. The actual number is not known as the figure was estimated rather than counted by Brazil rugby based on admission being free for the fixture. The game was Brazil’s home match at the Estádio do Pacaembu against Germany.
For the upcoming match against the Maori All Blacks Brazil will have a larger crowd. Sources have told Americas Rugby News that ticket sales for the fixture at São Paulo’s Estadio do Morumbi are approaching 20,000.
The Estadio Morumbi is the largest privately owned stadium in Brazil. It is also the largest stadium in São Paulo and the third in Brazil overall with a capacity for 72,039 people. Brazil’s largest venues are the FIFA World Cup stadiums in Brasilia and Rio de Janeiro.
Both of the Maori All Blacks matches in South America are thereby to set national attendance records and are highly encouraging for the future of rugby in both Brazil and Chile.
MAORI ALL BLACKS TOUR
Saturday November 03 USA vs Maori All Blacks, Chicago
Saturday November 10 Brazil vs Maori All Blacks, São Paulo
Saturday November 17 Chile vs Maori All Blacks, Santiago
