Sellout crowd expected for opening showdown

Rotorua will host a sellout for the opening Lions tour match against Bay of Plenty next Saturday.

The 30,000 capacity International Stadium has only 2000 tickets left and chief executive Paul Abbot is certain they will be snapped up in the next few days.

"Over the last three or four days we've sold about 370-380 each day so we're chunking through them," Abbot said.

Victims of last week's flooding in the Bay have been offered tickets to the game.

The New Zealand Rugby Union has made 450 tickets available, 200 for people from the hard-hit Matata region and 250 for people affected in Tauranga.

"NZ rugby were extremely quick and happy to get on board and contribute something positive to this situation," BoP marketing manager Vinnie Aston said.

The Bay squad assembles at Mt Maunganui tomorrow. Coach Vern Cotter finishes as Crusaders assistant coach after tonight's Super 12 final in Christchurch and will begin his preparation for the game on Monday.

The squad will train twice on Tuesday and the team of 22 will be named on Wednesday.

Abbot remains unimpressed at the off-field part of the Lions' all-too-brief visit to the region.

"My attitude hasn't changed. It's still very disappointing," he said. The Lions playing 22 will arrive in Rotorua next Friday, the non-players on the afternoon of the match.

Abbot understands five players will be in Rotorua, three in Tauranga for about an hour and a half on Saturday afternoon. They are likely to be involved in junior sessions and autograph signings.

"You think back to past tours and the way Lions players got out into the community, built some bridges and fostered rugby. It's disappointing from a community point of view, no doubt about that.

"But let's face it, it's very much a corporate professional approach to the game. They're here for 80 minutes of rugby and that's basically it," Abbot added.* Counties Manukau, celebrating their 50th jubilee next weekend, will host five Lions on Saturday, on their way to Rotorua.

They will be involved in various activities at Pukekohe's Growers Stadium to get a taste of a provincial club day. The players are due at the ground from about 2.15pm for just over two hours.