How much disappointment can one nation take?
English rugby supporters who sought solace in the World Cup on Sunday morning took a second hit when England lost again.
Rugby fans were joined by football followers in Octagon bars yesterday morning to watch their team take on Italy in the World Cup at 10am. Some had left the area only hours earlier.
Jack Cooper, formerly of London, lived and breathed every moment of the game as he watched it at the Terrace Bar.
While he was in Dunedin for the test on Saturday night, he was ''more a football fan'' and in nine days would fly to Brazil to, hopefully, watch England in the quarterfinals of football's showpiece event.
He let out a roar of relief and delight when English player Daniel Sturridge scored an equaliser in the 37th minute and then watched nervously, face in hands, as Italy took the attack to the English goal.
As for the night before's entertainment, he found it only ''a little disappointing''.
''It was all right ... a good atmosphere,'' he said.
England ultimately went down 2-1 to Italy and the result could affect the enjoyment of his coming holiday.
''We have got to go through [to the finals] for me to see them play,'' he said.
England will now have to beat Uruguay and Costa Rica to progress.
Terrace Bar owner John MacDonald was less concerned with the result and more pleased about the presence of a ''good couple hundred'' football fans.
The rugby test meant the weekend's turnover was ''tenfold compared to a normal weekend'', he said.
''We closed at 3.30am ... and we were open again at 8.30am,'' he said.
''It's a short turnaround and for some it's no turnaround. I haven't been home.''
Ellis Hospitality Group owner Barry Ellis said Craft Bar the night was ''on a par with last year's'' test in Dunedin.
Behaviour was good and the bar was ''all incident-free''.
Southern District Command Centre deployment co-ordinator Senior Sergeant Craig Brown said spectators at the test were a ''happy, well behaved crowd'' and the same was true of those who celebrated in town afterwards.
Seven people were arrested for disorderly behaviour and there were no major incidents.
''It's a positive to not have too many arrests,'' he said.
Sergeant Reece Munro said between 4pm Saturday and 5am Sunday, Dunedin police arrested 16 people in total.
No overseas residents were among those arrested, he said.
Otago Chamber of Commerce chief executive John Christie said the test meant accommodation in the city was booked out and turnover increased for bars, restaurants and retailers.
Previous tests had brought about $15 million into the local economy and this year was ''at least as big as, if not bigger than, any other test match we have hosted''.
