Not since 1974 has Sydney got behind a rugby league Test like this. One Kiwi cannot wait

Ronnie Mulitalo – and thousands of New Zealand supporters – are expected to be at their heckling best on Thursday night when the World Cup opener is played in front of the biggest rugby league Test crowd in Sydney in more than 50 years. Officials confirmed on Tuesday just under 40,000 tickets had been sold for Thursday night’s blockbuster, with Allianz Stadium’s capacity at 42,500. The biggest Sydney attendance for an international in the NRL era was 34,571 when New Zealand and Australia played in the 2008 Centenary Test at the SCG.