Super Rugby Pacific final: Hurricanes v Chiefs final tickets sell out in 15 minutes at Hnry Stadium
Tuesday, 16 June 2026
What: Super Rugby Pacific final, Hurricanes v Chiefs. Where: Hnry Stadium, Wellington. When: 7.05pm Saturday, Sky Sport 1.
Hurricanes chief executive Tony Philp wasn’t wrong when he urged fans to get in quick.
Wellington’s Hnry Stadium will be jam packed to its 34,500 capacity for Saturday’s Super Rugby Pacific decider between the Hurricanes and Chiefs after tickets sold out in 15 minutes on Tuesday morning.
Tickets went on pre-sale for members of both clubs on Monday, and opened to the general public at 10am on Tuesday.
“In just under 15 minutes we filled the tin (Cake Tin) and we have you to thank for that!,” the Hurricanes said in a statement.
Philp told The Post on Monday: “Tuesday 10 o’clock, we’re hoping that this thing will be blowing up and that we’ll be sold out by Tuesday night.”
It also means a $500,000-plus bonus for the Hurricanes who get to collect the proceeds from a home final.
It is the first time the Hurricanes have sold out their home base since 2016 when a crowd of 34,014 roared them to a 20-3 victory over South Africa’s Lions - still the club’s solitary title in their 30-year existence and most recent appearance in a final.
Hurricanes loose forward Brad Shields is the only remaining member of that victorious side in the current squad.
The Chiefs hammered the Crusaders 49-12 in Friday’s first semifinal and are contesting their fourth straight decider but haven’t won a title since 2013 under Dave Rennie. They ended the Canes’ title hopes in 2024 with a capital semifinal upset.
The top-seeded Hurricanes stormed into the final with a 57-21 victory over the Blues on Saturday before a crowd of 24,067 - around 7000 more than their best regular season attendance against the Crusaders in May - and became the first team to top 100 tries in a season.
Philp insisted they wouldn’t hike ticket prices just because it was a final, pointing out that a family of five could attend for $150.
“We didn’t want to change our strategy and approach to making sure we connect with our fans and our community… We’ve made sure we’ve balanced it out and we didn’t want to outprice the fans that have been really loyal to us to date.
“The top ticket price is $99 which we feel is really competitive because we want the stadium filled to the brim.”
There is an obvious financial benefit, too, for a club whose struggles escalated to a $2 million deficit last year when property developer Malcolm Gillies rode to the rescue and purchased Wellington Rugby Union’s 50% share in the Hurricanes.
At the time Gillies spoke about reconnecting with the community, playing a style of rugby the Hurricanes’ fans could be proud of and making the whole game-night experience something to remember.
On that note, Super Rugby Pacific announced on Monday night that former Australian Idol winner Stan Walker would perform at halftime at Hnry Stadium.
Host teams get to keep profits from playoff matches, and Philp said the expected return of $500,000 would be reinvested into the club and the game.
“We pay a fee to the Chiefs and rightly so, and there are a lot of costs, and we’re looking at a minimum of a half-million dollar profit, at least, which is what you’d expect from a final. It would have been easy to put the prices up and generate more (revenue) selfishly but it’s not what we’re about as a club.”
Saturday’s long-range Wellington forecast is for showers and a maximum of 16C. Both teams are announced at 4pm on Wednesday.