Mass swap proves just the ticket...

IRELAND and Australia fans were desperately trying to swap tickets ahead of the weekend’s Rugby World Cup quarterfinal matches, with internet forums and hostel message boards overflowing with listings for tickets.

The shock Irish win against Australia in the pool matches was not anticipated by many visiting fans, who have now found themselves with tickets to the wrong quarter-final after buying in advance.

Many were trying yesterday to swap tickets on tripadvisor.com, gumtree.co.nz, eBay sites, and specially created blogs and webpages.