World Cup takes off - cash rolls in

Revellers at the Cloud and Shed 10 on Queens Wharf. Photo / Sarah Ivey

Rugby World Cup fever has taken off, and organisers are now confident of reaching their $270 million ticket-sales target - and reducing the amount the tournament will cost New Zealand.

Six matches are likely to be sell-outs this week - after almost 220,000 spectators attended the opening weekend's matches.

Eleven games will be played between tomorrow and Sunday and tickets - some as cheap as $31 - are still available for several of them.

"We have had a great start to the tournament. There couldn't have been a better platform for [the later] matches," said a RWC spokesman.

Ticket sales have exceeded $1 million each day since the opening match between the All Blacks and Tonga on Friday - and are edging towards the organisers' goal of selling $270 million worth, or 85 per cent of the total available.

More than $250 million worth had been sold by yesterday morning, leaving organisers only $19.5 million short of the 85 per cent threshold.

Last year, Rugby New Zealand 2011 Ltd forecast the World Cup would end with a $39 million loss, two-thirds of which would be picked up by the government and one-third by the NZ Rugby Union.

Ticket sales are New Zealand's only direct source of revenue.

If the $270 million goal is exceeded, the loss the country will have to carry will be reduced.

Tournament boss Martin Snedden told the Herald at the weekend that every match had come alive, fulfilling the promise of making New Zealand a stadium of four million.

"You have just seen people rise up right around the country and just embrace this," Mr Snedden said.

Last night, IRB tournament director Kit McConnell said ticket sales had continued to be strong.

"We were so thrilled with how the country came alive around the matches and New Zealanders embraced all the fans from overseas. It was fantastic rugby on the field and a festival atmosphere off it."

The 2003 and 2007 tournaments had shown late ticket sales for games right through the event were normal, he said.

Mr McConnell believed even more tickets would sell now New Zealanders had seen the quality of the rugby.

"Every match has been absolutely compelling. It had a lot of people glued to the TV or turning up as spectators at the stadiums, where the atmosphere has been fantastic."

Three of last weekend's matches had capacity crowds, and the four others were close to capacity.