Aus v Tonga sold out - Aus v NZ struggling to sell tickets

[Burns]

Source: https://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/s..._source=TelegraphSport&utm_content=SocialFlow

"Kangaroos v Tonga Test match at Mount Smart Stadium on track to sell out
Phil Rothfield, The Sunday Telegraph
September 22, 2018 6:20pm

AUSTRALIA’S rugby league Test match against emerging international giants Tonga in Auckland next month has become a box office smash hit.

The game at Mount Smart Stadium will be the first sellout of a Kangaroos Test match in recent memory with as many as 25,000 tickets already sold for the game on October 20.

The phenomenal interest is almost three times that of the Test match against the Kiwis at the same venue the weekend before which has sold only 9000 seats. Mount Smart Stadium holds 28,000.

No one is more delighted than Kangaroos coach Mal Meninga who has campaigned hard throughout the season to make the Test match happen.

“This is what international rugby league is all about,” Meninga said. “Putting on Test matches that can sell out and create a wonderful atmosphere.
It will be a great day for the international game.”

The New Zealand Rugby League was always concerned about the impact of the Kangaroos playing Tonga on their own sales.

They are struggling financially because the promoter of their mid-year Test in Denver failed to pay the $300,000 that was promised. New Zealand chief executive Greg Peters confirmed only 9000 tickets had been sold.

“We’re rebuilding a brand that took a bit of a hit last year,” Peters said. “We’ve lost players who historically would have been playing for the Kiwis.""

“That’s good for the international game but makes our job harder. This is the first time we’ve played against Australia in
Auckland since 2012 so it should have plenty of appeal.”
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Note: You can no longer purchase tickets to the Tonga match on Ticketek (allocation exhausted): http://premier.ticketek.co.nz/events/KANGATON18/venues/AES/performances/EAXN2018908/tickets

Thoughts?

Eden Park could have sold out for the Tonga game to be honest. Flog the extra 20,000~ tickets off cheaply, would be amazing. the NZRL should look into it for the Kiwi rematch next week.

Which on that point, if the Kiwi Test can't attract more than, say, 15,000 - Yikes.

 

[morningstar]

You’re headline is very alarmist Burns.

9k tickets sold for a Kiwis game with 2 weeks to go is good news.

....Yikes that the Kangaroos will play infront of a sold out crowd for once more like.

 

[Burns]

You’re headline is very alarmist Burns.

9k tickets sold for a Kiwis game with 2 weeks to go is good news.

....Yikes that the Kangaroos will play infront of a sold out crowd for once more like.

Perhaps a touch. But in comparison to the Tonga match, it is struggling.

And yeah, I know, Tonga bandwagon and all that. But this is the Kiwis playing their first match against Australia in New Zealand in years.

Personally I don't think the Kangaroos will be prepared to play in front of such a vocal, (hostile?) crowd like the Tongan fans.

 

[deluded pom?]

Perhaps a touch. But in comparison to the Tonga match, it is struggling.

And yeah, I know, Tonga bandwagon and all that. But this is the Kiwis playing their first match against Australia in New Zealand in years.

Personally I don't think the Kangaroos will be prepared to play in front of such a vocal, (hostile?) crowd like the Tongan fans.

I don’t think the Tongan fans will be hostile. Very vocal but not hostile.

 

[Walter sobchak]

1st match for the kiwis against the kangaroos in Auckland since 2012 says it all really. And this on the back of probably the strongest kiwi side in history with the likes of RTS, benji marshall, Manu vatuvi, Isaac Luke, Kieron foran and Simon mannering etc at their disposal which won the World Cup and two 4nations titles in the last decade. Totally criminal that the kiwi public hardly ever get to see this talented side.

 

[Walter sobchak]

You’re headline is very alarmist Burns.

9k tickets sold for a Kiwis game with 2 weeks to go is good news.

....Yikes that the Kangaroos will play infront of a sold out crowd for once more like.

Anything around 20,000 would be a success imo considering all of the recent turmoil the kiwis have gone through and the fact that The Auckland public get to see the kangaroos once in a blue moon.

 

[Walter sobchak]

I don’t think the Tongan fans will be hostile. Very vocal but not hostile.

Lots of signing, dancing and flag waving. A much welcomed addition to international RL.

 

[Arucard]

1st match for the kiwis against the kangaroos in Auckland since 2012 says it all really. And this on the back of probably the strongest kiwi side in history with the likes of RTS, benji marshall, Manu vatuvi, Isaac Luke, Kieron foran and Simon mannering etc at their disposal which won the World Cup and two 4nations titles in the last decade. Totally criminal that the kiwi public hardly ever get to see this talented side.

The fact we've only sold 9k tickets is the reason the Kiwis don't play at home often. The lazy public don't go out to support our country.

 

[roughyedspud]

See...if the NZRL had any f**king brains they'd have helped organize these Tonga games...and Samoa games... then take a cut for organising them...clowns

 

[Walter sobchak]

The fact we've only sold 9k tickets is the reason the Kiwis don't play at home often. The lazy public don't go out to support our country.

You have to sell the product I’m afraid. Build momentum by having regular tests. Do the all blacks play the wallabies once every 6 years in Auckland?

 

[Walter sobchak]

The kiwis need to be playing a test in Auckland every year be it against Tonga, England or Australia. We should never have got rid of the 3 test trans-Tasman series.

 

[jim_57]

NZ should be all over taking advantage of this by committing to hosting regular games against Tonga. Could be a massive rivalry that they can cash in on literally.

Realistically despite Tonga's strength NZ are still stronger and the gap will probably widen again as years go on so why not make the most of it?

 

[Coparugby]

I know a few Tongans in Australia who had flights and tickets on the first day they went on sale. They said heaps are flying to NZ for the match.

 

[LeagueXIII]

Shows how badly this was organised, the Kiwi game should have been played outside Auckland, and played as a Tri Series. Meninga is happy to cash in on the Tonga game at the expense of the Kiwi game, typical RL, NZ don't sell out anymore so bugger them we'll focus on Tonga now.

NZ have been weakened by the Tonga game going up against it, the Aussies would never make the same sacrifice or put in place rules to weaken themselves which is what should be done for the benefit of the international game because they want the Pacific eligible players playing origin eg. Radradra.

Had these games been organised correctly, it should have been a tri series:

Australia v NZ - Christchurch

NZ v Tonga - Whangarei

Australia v Tonga - Auckland

 

[kiwileaguefan]

The fact we've only sold 9k tickets is the reason the Kiwis don't play at home often. The lazy public don't go out to support our country.

I'm driving up to Auckland and will be 20mins from the game but can't be bothered going to watch them get a hiding. More interested in the junrs match...

 

[Bobby DIGital]

Which on that point, if the Kiwi Test can't attract more than, say, 15,000 - Yikes.

The real yikes here is:

The game at Mount Smart Stadium will be the first sellout of a Kangaroos Test match in recent memory with as many as 25,000 tickets already sold for the game on October 20.

And it's in a neutral country.

 

[Burns]

The real yikes here is:

The game at Mount Smart Stadium will be the first sellout of a Kangaroos Test match in recent memory with as many as 25,000 tickets already sold for the game on October 20.

And it's in a neutral country.

Whilst I agree, didn’t they sell out the Darwin Test matches last year in the World Cup?

 

[morningstar]

If you take the game in isolation and ignore the unprecedented demand for Tonga, Kiwis ticket sales are fine. Straight from the horses mouth...

https://i.stuff.co.nz/sport/league/...on-talk-of-michael-maguire-joining-sea-eagles

A new coach for the end of season tour will be announced soon, but of more pressing concern is the New Zealand v Australia test coming up at Mt Smart Stadium and Peters says tickets are going at a rate they anticipated.

"They are selling in the manner that we'd normally expect for an event like this and a similar path to what the Warriors would expect," he said.

"The historical evidence is that there's a late buying pattern. At the moment, we're hopeful we'll have a pretty good turnout for the game, but I'm not anticipating we'll sell the ground out."

Peters says the marketing for the test will noticeably increase over the next few weeks.

"It's tailored for the back part and it really ramps up for the final two weeks, because again, that's when historical evidence tell us we need to hit it," he said.

"We had a relatively short lead time into the event for a number of reasons, but we're now ramping up the marketing effort."

 

[Springs09]

Whilst I agree, didn’t they sell out the Darwin Test matches last year in the World Cup?

Yes, also sold out Newcastle and Perth in 2016 I think.

 

[Jim from Oz]

If you take the game in isolation and ignore the unprecedented demand for Tonga, Kiwis ticket sales are fine. Straight from the horses mouth...

https://i.stuff.co.nz/sport/league/...on-talk-of-michael-maguire-joining-sea-eagles

A new coach for the end of season tour will be announced soon, but of more pressing concern is the New Zealand v Australia test coming up at Mt Smart Stadium and Peters says tickets are going at a rate they anticipated.

"They are selling in the manner that we'd normally expect for an event like this and a similar path to what the Warriors would expect," he said.

"The historical evidence is that there's a late buying pattern. At the moment, we're hopeful we'll have a pretty good turnout for the game, but I'm not anticipating we'll sell the ground out."

Peters says the marketing for the test will noticeably increase over the next few weeks.

"It's tailored for the back part and it really ramps up for the final two weeks, because again, that's when historical evidence tell us we need to hit it," he said.

"We had a relatively short lead time into the event for a number of reasons, but we're now ramping up the marketing effort."

9000 tickets sold with 3 weeks to go sounds good to me …