12 Nov 2010

Mayor vows to prevent repeat of Eden Park crowd trouble

4:54 pm on 12 November 2010

The mayor of Auckland is setting up a taskforce to try to avoid a repeat of last Saturday's rugby league test crowd trouble at the 2011 Rugby World Cup.

The New Zealand-Australia league Test at Eden Park was marred by drunken behaviour when members of the crowd threw bottles and booed throughout the opposition's anthem.

The game had been considered a test-run for the venue ahead of next year's tournament.

The Mayor, Len Brown, says people were illegally drinking and carrying alcohol in the liquor free zone around and in the grounds, and that must not happen again.

He says the taskforce will include the chief executives of Eden Park, Auckland Council and Auckland Transport, as well as the police and local residents.

final spot up for grabs

Uruguay play Romania this weekend to decide which nation will fill the final place at the Rugby World Cup.

The match will be played over two legs, with the first in Montevideo and the second in Bucharest in two weeks time.

The odds are stacked against Uruguay, with the entire Romanian side professionals while only three of the Uruguay side make their living in the game.

The winner will join Argentina, England, Scotland and Georgia in world cup pool play.