Bledisloe Cup
Hong Kong officials offer Bledisloe reassurance
ESPNscrum
September 8, 2010
A general view before the Bledisloe Cup match between the Australian Wallabies and the New Zealand All Blacks at Hong Kong Stadium in Hong Kong, China on November 1, 2008.
Only 10,000 tickets have currently been sold at Hong Kong Stadium © Getty Images
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The Hong Kong Rugby Union (HKRFU) has dismissed reports that October's Bledisloe Cup Test between New Zealand and Australia at Hong Kong Stadium is under threat due to poor ticket sales.

Television reports in New Zealand suggested that the game may be switched to a northern hemisphere venue as only 10,000 tickets have been sold at the 40,000 seat venue, which also hosted the fixture in 2008.

HKRFU executive director Rob Knight is confident that ticket sales will improve as the game draws closer.

"Those reports are untrue, the official line from all three unions is that the match is definitely on in Hong Kong," Knight told the South China Morning Post newspaper. "We are confident sales will pick up in the next few weeks. A lot of people have been out of town over the summer holidays and now they're back we are certain ticket sales will improve."

All Blacks assistant coach Wayne Smith also said he would be disappointed if the match venue did change. His side are currently preparing for their final Tri-Nations Test of the season, against Australia in Sydney on Saturday.

"I really enjoyed it there a couple of years ago," he said. "I think some of those exotic venues are good for the guys. They're out of the ordinary, they're off the treadmill and into a new territory. They tend to freshen up a little bit. I think we generally would enjoy that stopover. It's a different culture and it's a different place to play. It's off the beaten track, so to speak, in terms of rugby venues."

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