Rugby:The IRFU will not seek to recoup any money from its clubs and branches for the thousands of unsold tickets at last year's autumn internationals. And to safeguard against such a scenario arising in the future, tickets only be will only be distributed once payment has been received by the IRFU.

A disastrous ticketing policy, in which seats could only be bought for all four matches before a hasty rethink led to the union bundling tickets for South Africa/Samoa and New Zealand/Argentina, resulted in vast swathes of empty seats at the Aviva Stadium.

The pricing structure saw fans staying away in their droves with the IRFU estimating that they were some €3.5 million - €4 million down on their original sales target.

Many clubs around the country were left with more tickets than they could get rid of, but the IRFU today confirmed they will not be asked to pay for the shortfall. But going forward, they will only receive tickets to sell on to their members that have already been paid for.

An IRFU working group has also outlined a new ticketing strategy, under which a new ticketing distribution and sales system can be established.

“For the IRFU to fulfill its role and obligations to protect and develop Irish rugby in the long term, maximizing attendances should be the first priority,” said IRFU chief executive Philip Browne this evening. “A new ticketing structure will also provide the union with clear, up to the minute information about ticket sales within the clubs and enable it, if necessary, to pursue additional ticket sales distribution avenues.”