Protest in Auckland
There was great tension surrounding the match in Auckland. The day before the match, the army erected a double layer of barbed wire around Eden Park in an effort to stop anti-tour groups. One anti-tour protestor dressed as a referee and snatched the ball and kicked it in the direction of the main stand before being escorted away. The anti-tour faction had planned an all-out protest for this match. A light plane flew over the top of Eden Park dropping flour bombs and flares down onto the field below. One flour bomb hit All Blacks prop Gary Knight, however play continued. There were 10,000 protestors outside Eden Park. Protest exploded as demonstrators came into conflict with the police. Many policemen and protestors were injured as fighting erupted. Protestors used wooden stakes as weapons and the police used the long batons. 200 protestors were arrested. Items were thrown like rotten eggs, bottles, cans, rocks and incendiary devices like phosphorous flares. Three red squad members were beaten by protestors dressed as clowns on dominion road and this became the most notorious of complaints investigated in the months that followed.