English rugby fans, who travelled to Dublin for the Six Nations opener against Ireland earlier this month, spent an average of €639, generating just under €10 million for the economy, research by communications group Teneo indicates.

About 15,000 English fans travelled over for the match, staying on average 2.47 bed nights in the city.

 Teneo’s report on the economic impact of the match, which was based on a survey of 377 travelling fans on match day, found the match generated an additional €9.6 million for the local economy, rising to €12.4 million when accommodation was included.

 While not a guaranteed additional spend in the economy given the existing high occupancy rates in the city, the total spend on accommodation by travelling fans was estimated at just under €3 million, comprising €2.3 million for hotels and €554,000 in B&B-type accommodation.

The average hotel accommodation spend was €250 while the average Airbnb costs were €125. The majority (61 per cent) of fans opted for hotel accommodation while just under 30 per cent stayed in B&B or Airbnb accommodation.