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Wallabies tickets going cheap
May 09, 2007
THE Australian Rugby Union is offering discounted tickets to fans living outside Sydney in a bid to attract a decent crowd for Australia's Test against Wales this month.
With the tourists to field an under-strength team for the May 26 encounter, there are concerns Sydney's Telstra Stadium will be half empty for the Wallabies' first Test of the year.
The ARU's commercial operations general manager Brian Thorburn admitted the Wales Test was not as appealing to fans as a Bledisloe Cup or Tri-Nations clash with New Zealand or South Africa and that therefore concessions needed to be made.
Fans living outside of Sydney will receive a 25 per cent discount on tickets.
Tickets range from $55 to $115 for adults or $28 to $39 for children under 17.
"With popular opinion suggesting we need to attract more people back to rugby, the ARU has listened and decided this offer may just do that," Thorburn said.
"The ARU is very conscious of the high value of the Wallaby brand in the sporting market, but at the same time we are keen when we get an opportunity to open up the Wallaby Test experience to a wider audience.
"We believe this once-off discount offer may spur on rural New South Wales to get onside with the Wallabies as they tune up for the Rugby World Cup in France in September."
(I would assume the discount applies beyond rural NSW but best check first if you are elsewhere)
Telstra Stadium has a capacity of 83,500 and so far about 40,000 tickets have been sold for the Wales Test.
AAP