The prospect of seeing a live match at a packed stadium still feels like fantasy, with the coronavirus shut-out meaning supporters remain stranded on the wrong side of the turnstiles.
However Ireland fans can dare to dream again, after it was confirmed the first batch of tickets for the 2023 Rugby World Cup will go on sale from Monday, March 15th.
Andy Farrell’s side have been drawn in a pool containing defending champions South Africa, Scotland and two qualifiers for the tournament in France.
Their pool campaign will take them from Bordeaux to Paris via Nantes - and Ireland supporters can attend all four fixtures by purchasing a ‘Follow My Team’ pack, which will cost between €175 (Category 4) and €750 (Category 1).
Fans will also be able to purchase a ‘City Pack’ as part of the release on March 15th - with 2.3 million tickets going on sale overall.
A ‘City Pack’ does as it suggests, giving supports access to a number of pool games within a particular host city, of which there are nine - Paris, Bordeaux, Lille, Lyon, Marseille, Nantes, Nice, Saint-Étienne and Toulouse.
A Bordeaux package of three tickets - including Ireland’s opening game against a European qualifier - starts at €66. In Nantes - where Ireland will play an Asia/Pacific qualifier in their second match - the package starts at €96.
And if Ireland fans decide to base themselves in Paris they can purchase a Saint-Denis package, which offers three matches - including meetings with the Springboks and the Scots - and ranges from €148 to €632.
In order to secure a team or city package, supporters must register to join a ‘2023 Family’ scheme by 10.59pm (Irish time) on Saturday March 13th.
These supporters will then be eligible to purchase tickets as part of a pre-sale period which runs until April 5th. Remaining team and city packages will go on general sale at 5pm (Irish time) on April 6th.
Tickets for individual fixtures will go on sale in 2022.
Farrell’s side have been handed a tough task if they want to break through their glass ceiling and reach a maiden World Cup semi-final in two-and-a-half years’ time.
They begin their campaign in Bordeaux on Saturday September 9th against a European qualifier, which is likely to be Georgia or Russia. They then move to Nantes for a fixture against an Asia/Pacific qualifier - likely Samoa or Tonga - on Saturday September 16th.
Ireland will set up camp in Paris afterwards for fixtures against South Africa (September 23rd) and Scotland (October 7th) at the Stade de France - two fixtures any supporter would relish attending.
Rugby World Cup tickets will be available to buy here.
