Blaming The War In Iran? SARU Drastically Cuts Ticket Prices As Empty Ellis Park Looms For Boks vs England
The South African Rugby Union (SARU) has moved to reduce ticket prices for the highly anticipated Springboks clash against England in the Nations Championship at Ellis Park on Saturday.
While excitement has been building for both the match and the inaugural Nations Championship, many supporters have complained about being priced out, with SA Rugby coming under intense scrutiny over its ticket pricing.
Reports suggested that only 21,000 tickets had been sold for the Test at the 62,000-capacity Ellis Park, a claim SA Rugby dismissed as “entirely erroneous and misinformed.”
The governing body also said it remains hopeful of attracting a crowd close to the historic average attendance for Springbok Tests against England, which is 91% of the stadium’s capacity.
Tickets were initially priced between R950 and R3,000. However, some seats previously listed at R950 have been reduced to R650, while tickets in certain sections are now available for as little as R450.
SARU’s decision to lower prices comes amid concerns over the prospect of a sparsely attended Ellis Park, with ticket sales remaining open until kick-off.
In its response, SARU also cited “the war in Iran” as one of the factors contributing to the economic pressures facing the public.
“Assertions of a lack of interest are unfounded and not supported by the actual sales data,” the union said.
