Rugby 2011

Australian fans heading to trans-Tasman semifinal

20:30 pm on 11 October 2011

The Rugby World Cup showdown between arch-rivals the All Blacks and the Wallabies has led to a surge of Australians heading to New Zealand.

Public tickets to Sunday's semifinal at Auckland's Eden Park have sold out and companies selling game packages are reporting a jump in interest.

Rugby World Cup Limited's hospitality arm says sales have spiked since last weekend and it has got only 50 hospitality packages left.

Individual tickets for the match are sold out.

Air New Zealand says it has had such a boost in demand from Australians it is adding an extra plane and boosting capacity on other flights to cope.

The airline says Wallabies' supporters appear to be optimistic about their team's chances as there has been a jump in bookings for the finals also.

Jetstar says many of its flights between Australia and Auckland this weekend are fully booked and others are close to capacity.

Meanwhile, Australian-based Total Sports Travel is planning a charter flight from Brisbane to ensure people can get to the game if other flights sell out.