Over 60,000 tickets were sold in one hour in the third phase of allocations for the Rugby World Cup 2007 in France, when they went on sale around the world on the internet yesterday morning.

Individual tickets for all 40 pool matches were sold along with the first batch of tickets for the quarter-finals and Bronze final match. The speed of the ticket sales is unprecedented for a rugby World Cup and equated to 1,000 ticket sales every minute.

"This is the first time in the 20-year history of the Tournament that the rugby public around the world, regardless of where they come from, have had the opportunity to purchase tickets online without having to purchase travel and accommodation as well. For the first hour around 800,000 individuals were registered on the ticketing website" said Rugby World Cup managing director, Mike Miller.

"When you consider that prior to this third phase over one million tickets had already been sold through sales of team and city packages via the internet (phase one and two) and through the official travel and corporate hospitality programme, it is clear that the France 2007 Organising Committee is on track to sell two million tickets."

What this indicates is that the French-hosted competition, which takes place next year in various grounds around the country, will probably set a record in terms of match attendances. The ballot and last phase of single ticket sales for the semi-finals and final is planned for April 2007.

The Rugby World Cup begins in Paris on September 7th, with the final also in the French capital on October 20th.

Argentina's Ignacio Fernandez Lobbe has slammed International Rugby Board officials and demanded the Pumas be included in next year's Six Nations.

The Sale secondrow has grown increasingly frustrated at the IRB's insistence that Argentina should not be included in either a new-look Seven Nations or a rejigged Tri-Nations.