Sawt Falasteen - Rugby legend McCaw hails 'spectacular' NZ stadium built after deadly quake

The Canterbury Crusaders defeated the NSW Waratahs 35-20 to start a weekend of Super Rugby action at the stadium, with a standout performance from wing-turned-flanker Leicester Fainga'anuku.

Te Kaha means 'the strength', and the people of Christchurch hope the NZ$683 million (US$404 million) stadium will be the heart of a rebuilt city.

McCaw was captain of the All Blacks and a key member of the Crusaders when a 6.3-magnitude earthquake killed 185 people in 2011, toppling and damaging dozens of buildings in Christchurch including the city's old Lancaster Park.

The stadium had hosted international rugby and cricket matches and was home to the Crusaders, but it never reopened.

McCaw, who retired from playing in 2015, said the new stadium was "amazing".

"There's not been many times since I finished playing that I wanted to put the boots back on but out here and seeing this, it's spectacular," McCaw told Sky Sports.

"To see all the fans excited is really special. I think there will be memories built pretty quickly.

"I think this is the last piece of the puzzle. You know, once it's up and running it will really make it the place to be," he said.

Across the road from Te Kaha is the site of the former CTV Building that collapsed, killing 115 people.

Some fans were in tears as they entered the stadium, thinking back to the events 15 years earlier.

"We had the CTV building just here," Murray Parfitt told national broadcaster RNZ.

"Walking through that area after the earthquake and to come to this, it's very emotional.

"It is more than just a stadium and having the CTV memorial right there, yeah, very emotional actually," he said.

The old Lancaster Park was bulldozed in 2019, and the Crusaders moved to a temporary home at the 18,000-capacity Rugby League Park.

Because of its small size Christchurch would host only a handful of All Blacks Tests in the intervening years, another symbol of the city's loss.

They will return to play France at Te Kaha in July.

The Crusaders christened their new home with a come-from-behind win over the Waratahs.

Dallas McLeod scored a double, while Fainga'anuku had a try in his first start as a flanker.

Codie Taylor and Macca Springer also scored for the hosts.

V.AbuAwwad--SF-PST