Tickets went on general sale today and queues of rugby supporters, hoping to get a chance to see Ireland in action at Ravenhill for the first time since 1954, were snaked round the car-park from the early hours with the first customer in line securing his spot just after 5am. 

Tickets had gone on a limited release to Ulster Rugby season ticket holders last week and any remaining promenade tickets were snapped up today mid-morning leaving just terrace tickets available.

The large numbers of people at Ravenhill were in good spirits and bore the wait in the queue, over two hours for some people, with good humour and the staff at Ulster Rugby would like to thank them for their patience.

As anticipated the Ravenhill ticketline which was open from 10am - 12 noon (to allow for processing the high volume of orders in the afternoon/evening), was innundated with telephone calls and some people were unable to get through. 
While the staff worked flat out to answer as many calls as possible we would advise anyone wishing to purchase tickets to come to the Ravenhill counter if at all possible, as inevitably some people are disappointed and frustrated at not getting through on the telephones- we can assure you, the telephones are not left off the hook!
 
Ireland's international match tickets are usually only allocated through affiliated clubs and schools, however, for this match, the IRFU gave Ulster Rugby the promenade and terrace tickets to sell on general release meaning that hopefully a lot of people who wouldn't normally get the opportunity to see an international match can do so at Ravenhill on 24th August - the big send-off for the Ireland team as they head into the World Cup.
 
There are now approximately 1000 terrace tickets left on sale at Ravenhill however there is now limited availability on children's tickets with approximately just 100 left.
The remaining tickets are on sale at the Ravenhill Counter which is open from 9am-5pm. The ticketline will be open again from 10am - 12 noon however - as already advised, we would urge supporters to come in person to Ravenhill if at all possible as it is extremely difficult to get through on the phones when we are experiencing such a huge volume of calls and your tickets will not be secured unless you actually speak with an operator and place your order.

Tickets are limited to 4 per person and please note that the Ulster Rugby Office will be closed on Thursday 12th and Friday 13th July.
 
**Ulster Rugby and the IRFU would also advise anyone who has already purchased tickets for the match to keep them in a safe place as if they are lost or stolen they will not be re-printed or refunded.**