Malcolm Gillies: Hurricanes Chairman on Hnry Stadium selling out for the All Blacks v Italy clash

The Hurricanes' rampaging success in this year's Super Rugby championship may have helped the All Blacks sell out the Cake Tin. 

Around 34 thousand people are expected at Hnry Stadium on Saturday as the All Blacks take on Italy. 

The game had initially struggled to sell out, with four thousand tickets still available at the end of last week. 

Hurricanes Chairman Malcolm Gillies told Ryan Bridge there are 11 Wellington players in the All Blacks, and hopefully the Hurricanes' style of rugby carries over. 

The team's on-field Super Rugby success also looks to have influenced a major breakthrough off the field. 

The 2026 champions have had a troubled period financially – posting consecutive annual losses, including a $2 million deficit last year. 

But Gillies indicated that things are at last heading in the right direction. 

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Right, Wellington's Caton officially sold out ahead of today's All
Blacks test against Italy, which is great news. Third time
the cake Tin, if we can call it that, Henry
Stadium has been sold out in Wellington for twenty twenty six.
Malcolm Gillies, Hurricanes co owner and chairman. I'll fill the
tin campaign creator is with us this morning. Good morning, Malcolm, Yeah,
good morning. Okay, great news.

Speaker 2 (00:22):
Yeah it is, isn't it. Yeah, we've got a great
marketing team. We can't take credit for that. Filled the
term to the brim. That was their marketing guys. And yeah,
it was a great, great marketing campaign. Yeah.

Speaker 1 (00:34):
Is there something wrong with calling it the Caketon. I've
had lots of texts this morning. I thought that's what
we called it, Malcolm.

Speaker 2 (00:39):
I didn't call it what you like. I mean, it's
you know, the sponsor, Henry Stadium. I mean Henry, the
guy that owns Henry. He said, great guy, you're very
very positive about changes. You know that he wants to
bring to help bring people back to the cake Tin.
But no, I think that the name's been there.

Speaker 1 (01:00):
Has been Rugby's cranking and Wellington at the moment. But
I did look back. There was an injury you did
last year. You talked about the Hurricanes and the loss
of financial losses. Has the win for the for this
season is that helped to turn things around for them?

Speaker 2 (01:16):
Well, most certainly, but even before that things were financially
were on the right track. We turned it right round
this year, I think will be we would have turned
it around to a profit. So you know, we've been
We've been very blessed with the support that we've managed
to get back from our from our fans. But I
think main needs and probably could contribute to why the

(01:38):
All Blacks have filled the cake tin as well as
the Hurricanes were playing a fantastic brand of rugby, really entertaining,
and I think you know that that final would have
to be the best final, best game of rugby, I
think most people have ever seen. It was just fantastic
and you've got what you've got Heaven and the All Blacks.
So hopefully, you know, we're going to start seeing some

(01:59):
more of that entertaining rugby and that's what people come
to look for.

Speaker 1 (02:03):
It is, isn't it. I Mean people love to back winners,
and clearly there are a lot of winners in Wellington.
Right now, what about club rugby. I've been reading with
some concern this week about the you know, despite the
fact we'll have the ABS in Italy playing at the
Cake Tin, we've got no club rugby because of apparently
there's abuse going on with the rest.

Speaker 2 (02:24):
Well, you know, look, we can't tolerate it. It's just
there's no place in sport for that type of behavior.
So I say, good on the rest, you know, put
your foot down. I mean, they don't get paid and
they don't have to put up with that sort of nonsense.
And maybe you know, I mean it's pretty radical when
I heard of Kriky Dick. You know, that's really that's

(02:44):
a good you know, that's pretty out there. But look,
you know it's not tolerant. We can't tolerate that sort
of behavior. Malcolm.

Speaker 1 (02:53):
I'm from Wellington and Wellington hasn't been fantastic when it
comes to super rugby for a wee or we haven't
won for a wee while. What's turned it around? Like,
how where is this, as you described a fantastic style
of rugby come from.

Speaker 2 (03:09):
Well, you've got to really, I mean, obviously it wasn't
just myself and our board in one year. You can't
you know, we can't say it was just us. I
think we added to it. But I think if you
looked at it, it had been building for quite some time.
I think the Hurricanes had recruited well over the last
number of years. They've got a fantastic coaching unit with

(03:29):
Clark and Corey, Jane and Whopper. It has been building.
It was just quietly there and I think what we
did probably was give it the ability to come out. So,
you know, it's it's been an exciting time and I
think next year, I mean, the proof in the putting
is can we turn it around? Can we go back
to back? And that's what's going to be exciting, because
if we can, you know, then then obviously we have

(03:51):
got something there. But we've got a wonderful culture there.
It feels good. You only got to look at our girls.
I mean, our girls hadn't won a game two years.
They've won two games in a row. And when you
watch them play, you know they're in with a hunt,
they're in with a chance to win that comp they're
playing some great rugby and they're having fun. So you know,

(04:13):
wouldn't that be excited? Men and women? The good Win both.

Speaker 1 (04:17):
Good to have goals there. Malcolm Gillies, Hurricanes co owner,
with us this morning.

Speaker 2 (04:21):
For more from Early Edition with Ryan Bridge.

Speaker 1 (04:24):
Listen live to News Talks it'd be from five am weekdays,
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