4 Feb 2011

NZ make it look easy at Sevens

11:01 pm on 4 February 2011

New Zealand are in top form heading into the second day of the Wellington leg of the IRB Sevens tournament.

The New Zealanders breezed though to the quarterfinals on Saturday after easy wins against Scotland, Papua New Guinea and Argentina in pool matches before a packed Westpac Stadium.

They out-gunned Scotland 29-12 and Papua New Guinea 45-0 before delighting the crowd with a 34-7 win against Argentina to end the festivities on Friday.

The crowd, many dressed in costumes, was in high spirits and mainly well-behaved.

Only a few people were evicted from the ground - including three streakers, two of whom were dressed as Batman and Robin.

Organisers are taking a tougher stance on fans trying to flout the rules at the tournament.

Tournament general manager Steve Walters says fans caught smuggling alcohol into the stadium in the past had it confiscated before they were allowed to enter, but this year they will be denied entry.

Organisers have also cancelled tickets sold on auction site Trade Me at well above their face value.

Wellington's biggest party is sold out for the 10th consecutive year.