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Rugby: Ticket Target Reached on Eve of 3rd-Place Playoff
John Pye | October 20, 2011

Australia Australia's Wallabies fly-half Quade Cooper celebrates after winning the 2011 Rugby World Cup quarter-final match South Africa vs Australia at the Wellington Regional stadium in Wellington on Oct. 9, 2011. (AFP Photo)
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Rugby | John Pye

Auckland, New Zealand. With the prospects of watching the All Blacks win the Rugby World Cup, and yet another chance to see the Wallabies lose, it’s little wonder ticket sales have just hit tournament targets in New Zealand.

New Zealand beat archrival Australia in a World Cup semifinal for the first time to earn a spot in Sunday’s final against another nemesis, France.

The two-time champion Australians dropped into Friday’s third-place playoff against Wales, a match both teams are desperate to win in the wake of defeats.

More than 52,000 tickets have been sold for the third-place match, which is only two nights before the sold-out final at the 60,000-seat Eden Park. Revenue from ticket sales surpassed the 268.5 million New Zealand dollars ($213 million) target on Thursday.

Wales won the third-place match at the inaugural World Cup in 1987 with a 22-21 victory over the Wallabies.

“The beauty about this game is you get a chance to right some wrongs from last weekend and finish the tournament on a positive note,” Wallabies captain James Horwill said. “They like to play an expansive game, they’ve shown that this tournament.”

The Australians came into the tournament on a high after winning the Tri-Nations title for the first time in a decade, clinching it with a win over New Zealand at Brisbane in August.

An upset loss to Ireland in the group stage put them on a collision course with the top-ranked All Blacks in the semifinals instead of the final.

Now, the Wallabies could struggle against a Welsh team that has been a revelation in this tournament with its running game.

Wales coach Warren Gatland was bitterly disappointed after a 9-8 loss in the semifinals to France, when captain Sam Warburton was sent off for a dangerous tackle in the 18th minute, leaving his team with 14 men.

Still, the Welsh could have caused a spectacular upset to reach the World Cup final for the first time, except three different kickers missed chances to score the winning points.

“We have come a long way and put together a string of performances that the nation can be proud of so far in New Zealand and we need to ensure that the history books reflect what we know we are capable of,” Gatland said. “And it is only by beating the Wallabies on Friday night that we feel this will be achieved.”

 

Associated Press