Rugby World Cup ticket sales pick up

Sales of Rugby World Cup 2011 match tickets are starting to pick up, with the tournament just days away. Photo / Brett Phibbs

Tickets for Rugby World Cup matches are selling faster as the event gets closer, allowing Cup organisers to relax a bit in the lead-up to kick-off.

With $4 million worth of tickets sold in the last week, organisers were now expected to meet their target of $268.5 million by the tournament's end, Rugby NZ 2011 chief executive Martin Snedden said today.

Snedden said that with 10 days to go until kick-off, "the stress is dropping away and the excitement is building".

International Rugby Board chief Mike Miller said that compared to past hosts, New Zealand was "right on schedule" in its preparations for the tournament.

"This is where we expect to be 10 days out."

At present, $242.5 million worth of tickets have been sold, with around 170,000 seats remaining.

All Eden Park pool games can expect attendances of more than 50,000, and Hamilton and Napier will also have bumper crowds for their matches.

Three games have sold out - two All Blacks matches and the Rugby World Cup final - and the last 4000 tickets of the opening match between New Zealand and Tonga were expected to disappear soon.