The Penrith Panthers take on the New Zealand Warriors in just under three months and tickets are being snapped up fast.
The NRL fixture takes place on May 14 at AMI stadium in Christchurch, which was luckily undamaged by the recent earthquake.
Over 5000 of the 17,500 seats have already been claimed - a pleasant surprise for Canterbury rugby league board member Justin Wallace.
"We know there is a big appetite for NRL in Christchurch, as well as the desire to witness elite sport and be part of a major event, but we are glad to see that this belief has been confirmed," he says.
Wallace says that visiting fans will play a major part in creating a rugby league carnival around the match and will provide a significant economic boost to the city.
At this stage, around a third of the tickets sold have gone to people outside Christchurch, and trends show 6000 NRL fans could be coming for the match. That would result in more than three million dollars of extra spending for the garden city.
The match will be the first of four home games the Panthers will play in Christchurch over the next four years.
The club has also committed to bringing a comprehensive community and rugby league development programme to Christchurch leading up the matches.
Newshub.
