"It’s bigger than an All Blacks game‚" says Lions CE Rudolf Straeuli about Saturday’s Super Rugby final between the Lions and Crusaders at Ellis Park. Straeuli confirmed that the 61,500 sellout crowd was a Super Rugby record for the ground, surpassing the 50,000 who attended the 2016 semifinal against the Highlanders. Saturday’s crowd will by extension also be a South African record for a Super Rugby match. The ground was also sold out for the Super 10 final in 1993‚ the precursor to Super Rugby, which was launched in 1996. Drawing such a large crowd to Ellis Park does‚ however‚ present logistical challenges. "This is the first time in my time here that the ground has been sold out on a Monday. It’s bigger than an All Blacks Test‚" Straeuli said. "With a crowd like that, we’ll have to get in extra security. People must also try and come early. They must beat the traffic. We don’t want a late rush and we can’t have a repeat of what happened at FNB Stadium," he said, referring to a cr...

Subscribe now to unlock this article.

Support BusinessLIVE’s award-winning journalism for R129 per month (digital access only).

There’s never been a more important time to support independent journalism in SA. Our subscription packages now offer an ad-free experience for readers.

Cancel anytime.

Would you like to comment on this article?
Sign up (it's quick and free) or sign in now.

Speech Bubbles

Please read our Comment Policy before commenting.