Tickets to the highly anticipated British & Irish Lions Tour are set to go on sale tomorrow with all three Lions’ matches in NSW expected to sell fast.
At 9:00am tomorrow tickets to the Qantas Wallabies v Lions Test, the Waratahs v Lions Tour match and the Combined NSW/QLD Country v Lions Tour match will go on sale to the General Public and fans are being encouraged to purchase quickly.
Last week Australian Rugby Union provided members of the Rugby Community with an exclusive opportunity to buy Lions tickets before they went on sale.
The NSW Rugby Community responded keenly, snapping up tickets and exhausting the allocation to the third and final Test at ANZ Stadium in Sydney in just a few hours.
ARU CEO, Bill Pulver, said the anticipation for a Tour “12 Years in the Making” was high and expected tickets to move quickly tomorrow morning.
“There is a fantastic air of excitement across Australia for the impending British & Irish Lions Tour,” Mr Pulver said.
“The Lions only visit our shores once every 12 years and the scarcity of a Lions Tour has not been lost on Australian Rugby fans.
“Last week we saw tickets to the third and final Test in Sydney, the Lions’ Tour match against the Waratahs and their match in Newcastle snapped up quickly.
“When the General Public ticket sales commence, there is every indication the allocation provided for the third Test between the Qantas Wallabies and Lions at ANZ Stadium and Waratahs and Lions at Allianz Stadium will be exhausted in a short period of time.
“I encourage All Australian sports fans to get in quick to avoid disappointment.”
The last time the Lions toured in 2001 Sydney hosted the third Test which, thanks to a momentous lineout steal by Justin Harrison in the final minutes of play, saw the Wallabies record an historic nail-biting win to claim their first ever series win over the Lions.
The Test at Australia Stadium (now ANZ Stadium) attracted 84,188 and set a new record peak for television audiences with three million viewers nationally tuning in to see the series decider.
Tickets to all three of the Lions’ Tests in 2001 sold out in a matter of minutes when they went on sale with Ticketek reporting in excess of 2.1 million hits on their website during the 20 minutes that Sydney Test tickets were on sale.
The British & Irish Lions Tour is proudly supported by the NSW Government, through its tourism and major events agency Destination NSW.
NSW Minister for Tourism and Major Events, George Souris, said NSW was excited to be hosting the Lion’s share of matches for the once in 12 Year tour.
“The Lions is one of the most admired Rugby teams in the world and the fact that NSW has secured three of the nine matches is a wonderful coup for our State,” Mr Souris said.
“Everyone remembers the tens of thousands of passionate and vocal British and Irish supporters when they toured in 2001 and it is exciting to think that approximately 30,000 of the famous ‘Sea of Red’ will be making their way down under again.
“A tour of this magnitude offers a great opportunity to promote NSW to the world, in addition to the potential economic benefit of hosting three of the nine matches here in NSW.”
Test ticket prices have been set at the same levels for all three showdowns between the Qantas Wallabies and the Lions in Brisbane, Melbourne and Sydney.
Adults’ prices start at $95 for a Bronze category ticket, moving to $175 for Silver, $235 for Gold and $295 for Platinum.
By comparison:
• 2011 Rugby World Cup quarter final tickets in New Zealand ranged from $150 to $380;
• 2013 AFL grand final tickets will be priced from $176.50 to $390;
• 2003 Rugby World Cup quarter final tickets in Australia were priced from $95 to $295; and
• 2005 Lions Tour Test tickets in New Zealand were priced from $80 for some matches and up to $300 for the three Tests between the All Blacks and the Lions.
Tickets to the Waratahs v Lions Tour match start from just $10 for a Junior ticket, $20 for an adult ticket and $50 for a family of four.
Tickets to the Qantas Wallabies v Lions Test, the Waratahs v Lions Tour match will go on sale through Ticketek at 9:00am on Monday 18 February.
Tickets to the Combined NSW/Qld Country v Lions Tour match will go on sale through proticket at 9:00am on Monday 18 February.
For information on the British & Irish Lions Tour to Australia visit the Official Lions Tour Website for videos, interviews, news, ticketing information and more.
