Saru warns supporters after reports of fake Springbok Test ticket sales

The South African Rugby Union (Saru) has warned supporters to buy Test match tickets only from official channels after allegations that some agencies sold promises of Springbok Test tickets they did not have.

What Saru says

Saru said the situation arose when “agencies selling the promise of tickets they did not have – and could not secure – for the Test, in breach of the event’s terms and conditions of sale.”

The union described those companies as acting “illegally and recklessly in pursuit of their own commercial gain at the expense of their clients.” Saru also said it did not receive complaints before the event and characterised the allegations as “clearly designed to deflect attention from the illegal and unscrupulous activities of individuals anonymously disguising themselves as the sports tourism sector.”

Official purchase channels and the warning to fans

Saru said fans had access to hospitality suites through four appointed agencies and to tickets through one official ticketing portal. The body reiterated its usual advice: “SA Rugby repeats its warning to supporters – as it does before every event: only buy from the official agencies to avoid losing money and failing to receive tickets.”

Complaints from hospitality operators

Operators who complained one source asked not to be named accused Saru of commercial greed and said hospitality suite packages were made available only to Saru’s appointed commercial rights agencies, such as Sail and Megapro Hospitality.

The source said local and international tour operators, corporate clients and visitors were demanding answers, claiming the allocation framework “severely squeezed the open market.” According to the complaint, “Independent operators and smaller sports travel companies were completely locked out of inventory.”

The operators said rumours circulated that “single, preferred premium operators were handed massive blocks of over 250 premium packages” and that “select big corporate entities were permitted to buy up to 10 entire viewing suites in a single transaction.” They called for the Competition Commission to investigate to ensure the marketplace remains fair, accessible and transparent.

Allegations about pricing and ticket routing

One hospitality package seller said: “For locals the markup was probably around R2 000 per package. In the international market, one guy told me he was offered around R20 000, excluding VAT, for a private suite ticket from a local agent.”

The seller added that an “international client says he managed to purchase grandstand tickets valued at R4 000 each for a staggering R14 900 through UK-based Tour Hub.” A concerned business owner asked: “How did these tickets end up with Tour Hub? Someone from Saru or its agents sold them and deprived the South African local market. You must ask Saru where the 6 000 tickets went.”

Package prices for recent Tests

• Packages ranged between R7 995 and R9 995 per person, excluding VAT, for both the Cape Town Test reported as last weekend and the third Test at FNB Stadium in Soweto.

Where things stand

Saru has placed responsibility for the problem on agencies that it says sold tickets they could not secure and has warned supporters to use the official ticketing channels to avoid losing money. Complaining hospitality operators have questioned the fairness of the allocation process and sought a wider probe of commercial practices.