Ticket launch for Lions rugby tour - ABC Online

Posted February 15, 2013 07:30:43

Australian Rugby Union officials will be in Newcastle today to launch tickets sales for the upcoming British and Irish Lions tour of Australia.

The Lions will take on a combined Country team at Hunter Stadium in June.

The game follows the test between the Wallabies and Scotland in Newcastle in June 2012, which attracted a crowd of just over 20,000 fans in wet and windy conditions.

Newcastle MP Tim Owen says the upcoming tour visit will be big boost for the local economy.

"Well they have a huge touring party that follow them, I mean up to 20,000 fans follow the Irish and British Lions around the world on these tours," he said.

"So when you have that number of people staying in the region it's a huge boon for the economy."

Topics: rugby-union, newcastle-2300, muswellbrook-2333