Wellington stadium passes safety tests for Wallabies clash

The stadium, which was closed as a precautionary measure in the wake of an earthquake on Friday, was granted approval following a detailed engineering assessment for the sold-out match expected to draw 38,000 fans.

"It's great news we can host a sell-out crowd in a safe stadium as planned," Tew said in a statement.

"Public safety is of paramount importance to us, so it was essential we received reassurances from engineers before continuing with our planning."

The stadium suffered minor damage, such as chipped concrete and broken glassware, but repairing would be complete well before the match, stadium chief executive Shane Harmon said.

"We can assure ticket-holders that the stadium is structurally sound and that there is no greater level of risk than existed before the recent earthquakes. Our engineers have said that the building has performed as expected," he added.

The All Blacks kicked off their Rugby Championship title defence with a six-try 47-29 victory over Australia on Saturday, which also served as the opener of the three-match Bledisloe Cup series between the trans-Tasman rivals.

(Reporting by Amlan Chakraborty in New Delhi; Editing by John O'Brien)


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