ABs v Fiji ticket sales poor

ONLY 10,000 tickets have been sold for the Christchurch earthquake relief test against Fiji in Dunedin next Friday.

New Zealand Rugby Union chief executive Steve Tew was disappointed with the dismal sales thus far, but hoped they would pick up closer to the game, which also doubles as the final test at Carisbrook.

The NZRU's break-even point is about 10,000 tickets. All profits from the game are to be donated to quake relief.

Tew was urging fans in Dunedin to support the match.

“The critical thing is to raise funds for Canterbury,” he told The Press.

“That is what the game is about and what we are trying to do and as [All Blacks coach Graham Henry] said on Sunday we urge the people of Dunedin to come and support the All Blacks during their only test in the South Island, and more importantly give us some help to raise money for the earthquake appeal.”

Tew acknowledged that the tickets for the match might be too expensive.

But he was reluctant to drop prices, as it would be unfair to those who had already purchased tickets.

“We wanted to give the South Island the chance to see the All Blacks when the game was moved away from AMI Stadium and that's where it sits.”