VUVUZELAS BANNED FROM NEW ZEALAND VENUE

Stadium chiefs have banned vuvuzelas from Auckland's Eden Park for New Zealand's Tri-Nations opener against South Africa on Saturday.

The move has prompted speculation the horns could be prohibited from the 2011 Rugby World Cup in New Zealand.

Cup organisers declined to comment although it is understood a decision will be made before the end of August.

The sound generated by vuvuzelas has been a near-constant backdrop to the football World Cup in South Africa.

“I think it's a judgment call on whether to let in certain items,” Eden Park's chief executive David Kennedy told the New Zealand Press Association.

“There are 25,000 people expected to turn up to the Test match this weekend and any vuvuzelas brought to the venue will be confiscated.”

Looking ahead to the Bledisloe Cup clash between the All Blacks and Australia in Christchurch on 7 August, venue management chief executive Bryan Pearson added: “Given the experience at the soccer World Cup, I can't see that that sort of deafening drone is going to be well received by fans.”

Rugby league club Harlequins have banned them, officials at Wimbledon told spectators not to bring them to the tennis championship and German Bundesliga side Borussia Dortmund have said the “horrid things” will be barred indefinitely.

The Rugby World Cup starts on 9 September next year with the hosts facing Tonga at Eden Park in Auckland and culminates with the final at the same venue on 23 October.