First World Cup tickets go on sale next month

Applications for Rugby World Cup tickets begin on April 27. Photo / Chris Skelton

Rugby fans have four weeks before their bid to secure tickets for next year's Rugby World Cup begins.

Details of ticket sales, which will be released in three phases, were revealed yesterday at a press conference at Sky City attended by about 150 media, tournament organisers and Prime Minister John Key.

World Cup organisers also confirmed that Kiwi band the Feelers have re-recorded British indie group Jesus Jones' 1991 hit Right here, Right Now, as reported in yesterday's Herald, which is the theme song in the tournament's marketing campaign.

The campaign, which was launched on the YouTube website yesterday, features the song played to sequences of action from previous rugby matches with a "be there" theme.

Rugby New Zealand 2011 chief executive Martin Snedden said the song was specially selected.

"When you listen carefully to the story that's being told, it really captures exactly what we're about.

"It's about a moment in time. It's right here, right now, seize the moment, let's make it something incredibly special.

"I think it is something that come Rugby World Cup time we are going to hear people singing from the terraces, the embankments and, maybe, even the stands."

Applications for tickets begin on April 27, which also marks 500 days before the kick-off of the 45-day competition.

Tickets to the semi-finals and final will come down to the luck of the draw with a ballot which Mr Snedden said was a "randomised, computerised" process that organisers had no stake in.

Prices for the Eden Park final range from $390 to $1250.

New Zealand fans also have the option of a six-month payment plan, with an administration fee of $25.

"Yes, prices for the big matches, the knockout matches and for some of the pool matches, by New Zealand standards, are expensive.

"By international standards, they're normal," he said.

Mr Key said the entire country would have a festival-like atmosphere because the tournament was "not just showcasing New Zealand for its rugby but actually showcasing New Zealand the country - our wine, our food, our tourism experiences".

He said accounting firm Deloitte had estimated the economic impact of the Rugby World Cup for the country would be $1.25 billion.

About 1.65 million tickets will be available for the tournament.

Ticket releases

Phase 1
* April 27-May 31 2010: Venue Pool Pack or Team Pool Pack tickets.

* Fans can apply to buy tickets based on their preferred venue or team. About 750,000 tickets are expected to be available - one-third of which will be prioritised for the rugby community, which includes referees and volunteers.

Phase 2
* August/September 2010 (to be confirmed): Individual tickets.

* Fans can apply for tickets to all matches, except the semi-finals and the final.

* Fans applying to buy tickets during phases 1 and 2 will have the option of applying for tickets to the quarter-final and/or tickets to the final.

Phase 3
* November 2010 (to be confirmed): Fans who apply for tickets during the first two phases have the option of entering the ballots for the final and semi-final.