As the BBC are reporting, the IRFU have requested ticket holders for the North Terrace of Lansdowne Road not to turn up for the Ireland v NZ match – a fire has forced the closure of the terrace for safety reasons and they will not be admitted. That will mean either 7000, or as the Irish Examiner reports, 7,500 ticket holders will not get entry to the ground.The statement from the Irish Rugby Football Union in full –
Owing to the outbreak of a small fire, the Irish Rugby Football Union regrets that the North Terrace at Lansdowne Road will be closed for Saturday’s permanent tsb international between Ireland and New Zealand.
The North Terrace has had to be temporarily closed to allow time for a full safety inspection due to the fire which occured in a confined area.
Accordingly, ticket holders for that area will NOT be able to gain access to Saturdays permanent tsb international between Ireland and New Zealand.
The decision to close the North Terrace was taken in the interest of safety following consultation between the IRFU, the Gardai and other relevant authorities and North Terrace ticket holders are advised it will NOT be possible to gain access to any other area of the stadium.
In the interest of safety and crowd control, North Terrace ticket holders are earnestly asked not to come in the vicinity of the ground.
The fire arose in a void space beneath the North Terrace and in the best interests of the safety of our patrons, the decision was taken to close the Terrace to allow a full safety inspection to be carried out.
It is not possible within the time frame to complete that inspection and provide adequate notice to patrons.
The IRFU regrets the North Terrace closure and the disappointment and inconvenience caused and assures patrons holding tickets for that area that notices will be issued as soon as possible regarding procedures for a full ticket price refund.
The North Goal Line area is not affected and ticket holders for those seats will gain access by the stated routes as indicated on tickets.
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