It's not quite a "once-in-a-generation series" for supporters but All Blacks fans will still have to hope fortune is on their side if they wish to watch the British & Irish Lions next year.
Marking a year until the tour kicks off, New Zealand Rugby chairman Brent Impey today revealed tickets for the three tests would be made available to the public through a balloting system.
The 12th Lions tour to New Zealand will feature 10 matches against eight teams in five weeks, with the visitors facing clashes against a Provincial Barbarians XV - consisting of Mitre 10 Cup and Heartland Championship players - the Maori All Blacks, all five Super Rugby franchises and, of course, the main event.
Even with two tests at Eden Park - which can increase capacity to 60,000 - Impey said demand for the three All Blacks matches would be such that a ballot was needed to "make it as fair as possible" for Kiwis to attend.
Those measures were also necessary in 2005, when 20,000 touring fans visited these shores, and again implemented during the 2011 Rugby World Cup. The 2017 Lions tour is shaping as the biggest sporting event in New Zealand since that showpiece and will certainly be the most-attended.
