The Eastern Province Rugby Union have thanked the people of Nelson Mandela Bay, the greater Eastern Cape and elsewhere for coming out in their numbers to support the Test Match held at the Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium on Saturday afternoon.
“It was an amazing atmosphere, Nelson Mandela Bay have once again shown that they support top flight rugby in the province and for that we are truly thankful,” said EP Rugby CEO Charl Crous.
Crous said that while it was not a complete sellout, the official attendance for Saturday’s game between South Africa and Scotland was 40,973, making it the best attended Test Match of the 4 match Incoming Tour series. The World XV brought in just over 30,000, Kings Park hosted 38,000 and Mbombela Stadium hosted around 25,500.
Crous also thanked all the stakeholders involved, from the traffic officials and volunteers to the stadium management and hospitality, that made the event the success that it was.
“We would also like to thank SA Rugby for allowing us to host the Springboks once again, and the Springboks and their team management for their superb performance on the field,” he said.
EP Rugby President, Cheeky Watson, said the fact that Nelson Mandela Bay came out and supported top flight rugby strengthened the region’s position when it came to securing future Tests and other events.
“We have seen the support with Super Rugby, with the Nelson Mandela Bay leg of the IRB International Sevens tournament and at the three Test Matches we have hosted at the Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium. People in the Eastern Cape love rugby and want to see more of it and we are going to do what we can to make that happen,” he said.
EPRU