Rugby fans will not see Saturday's Ireland-New Zealand

Hundreds of rugby fans with tickets for Saturday's Ireland-New Zealand test will be turned away after a fire forced a temporary closure of part of Lansdowne Road.

Although the blaze was restricted to a small area under the North Terrace, the Irish Rugby Football Union said that entire area must be closed until a full safety inspection was carried out, and that will be after the game. The closure does not affect the seats immediately behind the goalline.

The IRFU did not say whether New Zealand fans were affected by the closure. It will advise soon about refunds.

After outplaying Six Nations champion Wales 41-3 last week, Graham Henry's All Blacks are bidding to complete a Grand Slam of victories over the British Isles rugby teams. After facing Ireland on Saturday, they also meet England and Scotland, AP reports.

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