Tui rugby match just for locals: Yeah right | Hawkes Bay News | Local News in Hawkes Bay

Rugby fans as far afield as Hong Kong will be in the crowd during this weekend's Super Rugby pre-season game between the Hurricanes and the Crusaders at Mangatainoka.

"We've been absolutely stoked with the level of support for this year's game in terms of attracting rugby fans from all around the country and, for the first time, from overseas," Tui Brewery commercial manager Nick Rogers said.

Rogers, who has championed all three sold-out games at Mangatainoka in as many years, said tickets had been sent as far south as Christchurch, as far north as Auckland, with a couple to Australia and two to Hong Kong.

Among the more than 8000 fans who will be at Saturday's game are two who've made the long journey from Hong Kong.

Husband and wife Greg and Iris Beggs are making a special trip to the small Tararua township of Mangatainoka after reading about the pre-season game on an online search.

The couple say they were attracted by the game's grassroots rugby reputation and the opportunity to see some Rugby World Cup champions up close.

"We are fans of champion teams and champion players so we are coming along to see where they breed world champions," Greg said.

"It will hopefully be a great day of rugby where we can be close to the play and really see all the effort and almost feel the pain."

Greg, an Australian air traffic controller who has been living and working in Hong Kong for the past 15 years, said he took in live rugby whenever he got the chance. However, he admitted his wife, Iris, also an air traffic controller, "knows and refs the game better than I do".

"Iris and I love the game. We go to the Hong Kong Rugby Sevens each year, the Asian Five Nations games played here and, for the last two years, we've got to see the All Blacks take on the Wallabies here in Hong Kong," he said.

"The A5N games are played at the local football club in front of around 3000 people and you sit about 5m from the sideline. These games are a fantastic afternoon out where you are up close to the action, eat meat pies, have a few beers and really enjoy the atmosphere of the rugby community; this is our biggest hope for Mangatainoka."

Despite not knowing much about either of the Crusaders or the Hurricanes franchises, Greg said this first-ever trip to New Zealand was all about experiencing the magic of New Zealand with rugby "a very nice cherry on top".

Saturday's game, which kicks off at 3pm, is expected to go down in grassroots rugby folklore.

It will be played on Neil "Skin" Symonds' farm next to Tui Brewery, which has been transformed from a bare paddock into a ground befitting the quality of Super Rugby players.

Match day statistics

8023 screaming fans at the game.

1000kg of fertiliser and 100,000 litres of water have been poured on to ground.

175 tonnes of scaffolding went into constructing the stands - equal to 13km.

15,200 individual components help make up the stands.

20,000 beers are on ice, along with 5000 cans of lemonade.

1000 bucket hats in the crowd.

2500 people are estimated to have missed out on tickets.

15 community groups will benefit from the day.