The lofty price of a B&I Lions Test ticket revealed

BREAKING NEWS: South Africa Rugby has revealed the cost of a ticket to watch the world champion Springboks take on the British and Irish Lions next year.

Prime seats at Soccer City (Soweto), Cape Town Stadium and Ellis Park (Johannesburg) will set the man in the street back a lofty ZAR3000, while the same ticket will set back a travelling fan £130.

However, the entry-level tickets for local fans will be just ZAR500 - a mere £22.

Ticket ballots will open on September 2.

Jurie Roux, CEO of SA Rugby, said they have reserved the bulk of tickets for the South African market - hoping that the 'sea of green' will outnumber the 'sea of red'.

Twelve years ago visiting fans far outnumbered Springbok fans at the Test matches.

Gio-blocking the ticket sales will "hopefully" prevent that scenario from playing itself out again, even though the exchange rate has made the Pound Sterling far more powerful than it did back in 2009.

While the in-demand Test tickets are obviously pricey, SA Rugby believes they have struck a balance between top-end and bottom-end pricing for the biggest sporting event to hit South Africa since the 2010 FIFA World Cup.

Tickets from as little as ZAR100 will be available for some of the non-Test encounters.

The eight-match tour, which stretches across six cities over five weeks and kicks off in Cape Town on July 3.

Roux admitted the decline in value of the South African currency, the Rand, has made it more costly and precious for those in the SA market, but he felt prices are still "comparable with what was charged 12 years ago".

"What is very different is that we have introduced four tiers of pricing for all matches," Roux said, adding: "[It is] unlike the once-price-fits-all approach last time around.

"We have provided a range of price points for the public and, for instance, a family of four will be able to watch a match against one of the franchise teams for ZAR1000 in total, and for as little as ZAR400 for a match in Port Elizabeth or Nelspruit."

Roux spoke of the "once-in-a-decade commercial opportunity" and said they have to "maximise the commercial opportunity" that such a big event offers.

"At the same time, we have been sensitive to the South African fans and have some very affordable prices to watch the best of our local teams take on the Lions," he told a media briefing.

The only way for South Africans to secure tickets is by entering the ballot on www.lionstour2021.co.za.

Fans MUST register of the website to enter the ballot.

Once registered, the process is as follows:

* On Wednesday, 2 September at 10.00 registrants will be able to login to www.lionstour2021.co.za;

* South African residents will be able to select tickets for all eight matches (to a maximum of eight tickets per match);

* Ballot closes on Wednesday, 16 September at 23.59;

* The draw will take place by a computerised selection process;

* All registered users will be advised by email whether they have been successful on 25 September 2020;

* Payment will automatically take place on the credit card used for submitting your ballot application on 28 September and;

* Seat allocation and tickets dispatch (courier or electronic) will take place in the second quarter of 2021.

"We know demand will massively outstrip supply, particularly for the Test matches," Roux said.

"We chose the ballot system to allow everyone to get to the start line. It is a randomised, computerised selection system to ensure fairness, but people may be disappointed if they don’t register for the ballot."

Hospitality packages are available for all matches - ranging in price from ZAR2495 (excl. VAT) for a midweek game to ZAR8995 (excl. VAT) for a Test match.

* Those interested should email: hospitality@sarugbyevents.co.za.

Similarly, tickets can be accessed as part of a tour travel package by contacting SA Rugby Travel on info@sarugbytravel.com or 021 525 2515.