Australian rugby officials plan to block British tourists buying any more tickets for the third Lions Test in Sydney and spend 80,000 dollars (40,000 US) on kitting out home fans in green and gold.

An extra 10,000 tickets go on sale Thursday for the Sydney Test but
Australian Rugby Union managing director John O'Neill said only Australian residents would be able to buy them.

"We want more Australian supporters," O'Neill said Wednesday."We are unashamedly trying to ensure more Australians get tickets now that
we have some temporary seating."

Capacity at Stadium Australia was reduced from 110,000 to 69,000 when the
two end stands were knocked down after last year's Olympics. But the temporary
seating takes capacity back up to almost 80,000.Capacity at Melbourne's Colonial Stadium for the second Test is 55,000.

And O'Neill said caps and scarves in the Australian colours of green and
gold would be handed out to fans at Saturday's second Test in Melbourne.

Lions fans in replica red shirts flooded the Gabba at Brisbane last
Saturday to turn the first Test into a home match for the Lions who took the
Wallabies apart with four glorious tries.

"It was like a home match. They were fantastic," said Lions captain Martin
Johnson.

However, O'Neill denied Lions fans had outnumbered home fans in the 37,000
crowd in Brisbane."There were more Australians than British fans at the Gabba. It's just that every Lions supporter seemed to be wearing a Lions jumper," he said.

New Zealand rugby commentators said the move just proved rugby union was not the national sport in Australia.

"You wouldn't get this in New Zealand. There might be one bank of red but
three of black," said Kiwi sports columnist Robert Lowe.