Thursday 11 September 2014

Rugby World Cup 2015: A self-help guide


The World Cup is still the lifespan of a worker bee away so don’t panic; tomorrow’s release of tickets for sale is not a grab-all-you-can moment.



The deadline to buy this first tranche for next year’s tournament in England and Wales is on September 29th. Interest can be registered on tickets.rugbyworldcup.com.



Ireland versus France in Cardiff on October 11th is, of course, the big one. Presuming Joe Schmidt’s team sweep past Canada (the Millennium stadium, September 19th), Romania (Wembley, September 27th) and Italy (London’s Olympic stadium, October 4th) then the French test will, in all likelihood, decide who avoids New Zealand in the quarter-finals on October 17th.




The All Blacks should conquer Pool C opponents the Pumas, Georgia and Tonga without too many problems.



New Zealand versus Pool D runners-up France in Cardiff in a quarter-final sound familiar?



That would, ideally, mean Ireland plays Argentina, also at the Millennium stadium, the following day. Only down side is a 1pm kick-off. On a Sunday.



Victory over France essentially keeps the defending champions out of Ireland’s path until the final in Twickenham on Halloween night but any one of South Africa, Wales, Australia or hosts England would be waiting in the semi-final.



Here’s our self help guide, if you will, with a few unknowns. The organisers are not saying how many tickets will be made available to the paying Irish public or how many seats are in categories A through D. Or how many children’s tickets are going on sale.



Q Is it imperative to buy tickets tomorrow?



No. Tickets are on sale until September 29th and it’s not done on a first-come, first-serve basis



Q Is this to avoid people, traditionally Irish supporters, gobbling up all the tickets?



Pretty much, yeah.



Q How do I apply for tickets?



Create an account on https://tickets.rugbyworldcup.com/



Q Why is it better to pay with Mastercard?



As tournament sponsors, the 2 per cent transaction charge is waived (Debit card payments do not incur any charges, and there are no booking fees for RWC 2015 tickets, which is nice).



Q How many tickets can I buy per game?



Four per match. For 15 matches, 15 tickets can be purchased (this includes Ireland games against Romania in the Olympic Stadium and Canada in Cardiff).



Q Will these seats be together?



Yes, if bought in the one transaction.



Q Will I know exactly where I am sitting?



No. Just the category. The actual seats will be confirmed sometime in 2015.



Q When do I know if my application for tickets has been successful?



October.



Q How many tickets are in category A, B, C and D for, say, the Millennium stadium?



The tournament organisers assure us there will be “broadly” the same number of tickets available in each category.



Q What about Wembley and the Olympic stadium?



Same, same.



Q Does Category A mean premium seating?



It does.



Q Can tickets be resold or exchanged?



There will be an official resale platform early next year for supporters to recoup face value of tickets.



Q How many tickets are there in total?



°The figure is 2.3 million over 48 matches. That’s a big leap on the 1.65 million for the 2011 world cup in New Zealand. Bigger stadiums mean more tickets.



Q How much of the 2.3 million go on sale tomorrow?



One million. Whatever is left over goes on sale in November.



Q What about oversubscription?



Naturally this is going to happen for Ireland versus France and possibly Ireland versus Italy so there is a ballot system in place.



Q What’s that?



This is to ensure everyone has a chance of getting a ticket or it is to stop the few getting them all.



Q What’s next?



When you have completed your application, click on “Submit Application”. You can amend your application after you have submitted it or withdraw it completely any time during the general ticket sale window from September 12th to 29th.



Q Any extra charges?



Yes, there are. Postage charges apply according to the delivery address – UK £5 (€6.27), Europe £15 (€18.80), and the Rest of the World £19 (€23.84).



Q How much is a ticket to the world cup final in Twickenham on October 31st?



Highest is €891, down to €187.



Q What about Ireland v France?



Children’s ticket is €19 then €62 (category D), €106, €156 and €219.



Q What’s the cheapest Ireland ticket over the four pool games?



The price is €62 for a category D seat. Expect it to be high up in the gods, but all four stadiums are pretty special.


Article source: http://www1.skysports.com/rugby-union/news/12507/9008772/shaun-edwards-expects-gladiatorial-contest-with-south-africa-in-cardiff


Rugby World Cup 2015: A self-help guide

No comments:

Post a Comment