North Terrace closure to cost IRFU €500,000

THE IRFU are to lose up to €500,000 in revenue due to the closure of Lansdowne Road’s North Terrace for the games against Australia and Romania.

The Union’s consulting engineers yesterday advised rugby chiefs to declare the section “out of use for safety reasons,” following a fire which occurred on Friday evening.

Tickets for the New Zealand game, linked with the third international against Romania, were priced at €35 for the two games. At a loss of over 7,500 people, that alone cost €260,000.

Tickets for the Australian game were €25, which adds up to almost 200,000, and none of that takes into account the cost of refunds.

A spokesperson for the Union admitted yesterday that the combined loss would easily run to half a million and perhaps more when all ancillary costs are taken into account.

In a statement issued yesterday the IRFU said that: “ticket holders will NOT be able to gain access to the North Terrace for these games and are therefore asked not to travel to Lansdowne Road.

“Full ticket refunds will be made available, by means of the structures already in place for North Terrace ticket holders for last Saturday’s Test between Ireland and New Zealand. Further notices will be put in National media.

“The IRFU regrets that the remedial work they have been advised is necessary on a section of the North Terrace, can not be completed in time for the Ireland versus Australia and Romania games. Once more, the IRFU apologies to North Terrace ticket holders for the disappointment caused but the safety of our patrons must take priority in these circumstances.

“The IRFU also states that, because the Ireland-Australia game is a sell-out, it is not possible to accommodate North Terrace ticket holders elsewhere in the ground.

“The North Goal Line area, immediately in front of the North Terrace, is not affected and ticket holders for those seats will again gain access by the stated routes indicated on tickets.”