SA Rugby has referred fraudulent ticket sales to its attorneys after a number of supporters were left without entry to Saturday's second Greatest Rivalry Test at DHL Stadium in Cape Town.
In a statement released ahead of the match, SARU said travel agencies had sold promises of tickets they neither held nor had the authorisation to secure, in direct breach of the event's terms and conditions. When clients were left stranded, several of those agencies falsely claimed the failure rested with SA Rugby — an accusation the governing body has flatly rejected.
"Agencies sold the promise of tickets they did not have – and could not secure – for the Test in breach of the events terms and conditions of sale, and without ever having been given access by SA Rugby or its ticketing agency," the statement read. "These companies acted illegally and recklessly in pursuit of their own commercial gain at the expense of their clients."
SA Rugby confirmed it is now seeking legal redress against the companies involved.
The episode adds to a broader conversation around SARU's ticketing approach this series. The Cape Town fixture sold out, but the first Test at Ellis Park — won by the All Blacks 33-16 — still had tickets available in the week leading up to the match. High prices and late releases drew criticism ahead of that opener, a sentiment reflected in underwhelming attendances at the All Blacks' tour warm-up matches. The Stormers fixture drew a capacity 47,000, but crowds at subsequent games against the Sharks, Bulls and Lions fell well short of venue capacity, with the Loftus match — the best-attended of the three — drawing around 30,000 against a 51,762-seat ground.