Aussies urge price cut to lift flagging box sales

SYDNEY - The Australian Rugby Union wants the sport's governing body to drop the price of corporate box packages for the World Cup.

It is worried by a lower than expected demand for the boxes at pool matches.

The ARU is delighted at general admission ticket sales for the 48-match tournament, but corporate packages and suites have been largely ignored for games before the knockout rounds.

ARU managing director John O'Neill said the organisation hoped to persuade the International Rugby Board to review its pricing structure.

"The pricing of those boxes and suites is probably above what the market is willing to bear," O'Neill said.

O'Neill understood no boxes or suites had been sold for the five matches at Sydney's Aussie Stadium, which involve high-profile teams such as South Africa and Scotland.

"It would be a terrible outcome if there were 35,000 to 40,000 people at Aussie Stadium but a lot of the boxes were empty. It's not a good look," he said.

The IRB's package prices range from A$495 ($530) for pool matches in Gosford and Wollongong to A$2900 ($3100) for the November 22 final.

Although corporate sales have been sluggish, the ARU said that eight months before the tournament, more than one million tickets had been sold, putting the union on course to reap a profit of at least A$45 million profit.

O'Neill said he was also disappointed that Sydney hotels had increased their rates during the seven-week tournament. Some also have minimum stay periods.

He said up to 80,000 overseas rugby fans could come to Sydney, either on package deals or independently.

- NZPA