Super Rugby side New South Wales "will have a chance to clinch the State of Origin trophy in front of a record home crowd at ANZ Stadium," according to Brad Walter of the SYDNEY MORNING HERALD. A "massive surge in ticket sales for the June 18 clash" resulted from the Blues' 12-8 win in Wednesday's series opener." Origin I set new records for TV ratings, as it was watched by 4.058 million viewers in Australia. It also set records for gate receipts, which were A$2.2M ($2M) more than the previous record at Suncorp Stadium." Demand for game two has prompted officials "to install extra seating that will boost capacity at ANZ Stadium to 84,000." The normal capacity at ANZ Stadium is 81,000. However, additional seating "can be installed in the lower bowl and above the four player tunnels." Corporate hospitality packages and the 17,000 allocated seats in the Blatchy's Blues NSW supporters bays "are virtually gone after a rush on tickets." More than 5,000 tickets "were sold in the two hours between full-time and midnight on Wednesday." It will also be the first Origin match to be played "in a fully connected stadium." Fans will be "able to use free Wi-Fi to post on social media or access statistics and replays" (SMH, 5/29).
