Auckland NRL Nines' organizers are confident their product will continue to draw the crowds, despite the declining fortunes of the Wellington Sevens and a sliding trend in ticket sales for the Eden Park event. Duco Events CEO Dean Lonergan sympathized with the plight of the Sevens events, but was bullish about their own. "All I would say is I've been to the Sevens a number of times and really enjoyed myself. However Lonergan says the Auckland Nines, which Duco runs in a joint venture with the NRL, has the formula for long term success. Around 26,000 tickets had been sold as of today, and Duco are hopeful of a crowd well in excess of 30,000 each day at Eden Park this weekend.

Source: New Zealand Herald January 31, 2017 03:37 UTC