With 100 days to go until the start of the Rugby World Cup, Snedden said on Wednesday that the February 22 disaster which killed 181 people had presented the biggest challenge to organisers. All seven matches scheduled for Christchurch, including two quarter-finals, had to be moved after the quake, with organisers refunding 150,000 tickets sold for the matches in the city as well as giving the original purchasers an opportunity to buy them back.
Snedden said interest in tickets had been promising for the two quarter-finals, which will now be played in Auckland, along with a pool match between England and Argentina. However, he admitted that reselling the remaining games initially slated for Christchurch had been “a harder prospect” and said the original target of 1.35 million ticket sales would be difficult to achieve.
“Realistically, we're probably not quite as confident as we were before the earthquake happened, but there's a lot that can be done,” he told Radio New Zealand. “We're seeking to sell about 550,000 tickets from now. It is achievable, but it is a very difficult target.”
Snedden said he hoped for a surge in sales when tickets go on general sale on July 4 and added that he was still confident the tournament would meet its target of NZ$268 million (US$220 million) in ticket revenue. The Rugby World Cup chief also said overall preparations were on schedule, including construction work at stadia in Dunedin and Auckland, where the final will be staged.
