New Zealand mulls over unsold tickets

RUGBY World Cup organisers have 51 days to sell 350 000 tickets or risk New Zealand’s reputation as a rugby – mad nation.

But with mostly more expensive tickets left to the big games and soft demand from Australia and tsunami-hit Japan, sales look set to fall well short of the virtual sell-out at the previous tournament in France.’There was always going to be some seats for some of the smaller matches [unsold] and a success is stadiums that are for the most part full,’ International Rugby Board chief executive Mike Miller said.IRB head of Rugby World Cup Kit McConnell said the aim was to sell 82 per cent of all tickets – a significantly reduced target than the nation of full stadiums predicted just months ago.In January, RWC 2011 chief executive Martin Snedden said Kiwi fans would ‘back the All Blacks to the hilt’ and ‘warmly embrace’ all the other participating teams.’Together with our thousands of international visitors we will fill the stadia for all the 48 RWC 2011 matches.’But only one of the All Blacks’ four pool matches has sold out and overall, just four out of 48 matches are full.For a total sellout of all games, a further 560 000 tickets would still need to go. Mr McConnell said the Christchurch earthquake in February had set back sales.’Since Martin (Snedden) made those statements at the start of the year, the (earthquakes) have had an impact and certainly set us back a significant per cent at that time and we’ve had to play catch-up.’New Zealand was awarded hosting rights for ‘rugby reasons’ rather than for financial reasons, but Mr Miller said he remained optimistic there would be a late push in ticket sales and the country would live up to its promise as being rugby-mad. ‘People know intellectually, but they haven’t felt it emotionally yet.’Only the two most expensive categories of seats at All Blacks matches are still on the market, with the price tag for the opening match against Tonga in Auckland either NZ$460 (NZ$1 = US$0,8568) or NZ$358 per ticket.There appears little interest in some of the smaller teams with the full suite of ticket options still open at NZ$72, NZ$62 or NZ$41 to watch Georgia play Romania in Palmerston North or Russia play the United States in New Plymouth.The Government and RWC 2011 are expecting to absorb a NZ$39m loss on the tournament, a figure that will increase if ticket sales come up short of the 82 per cent target.