As the Springboks prepare to pack out Loftus Versfeld in Pretoria this Saturday for their high-stakes encounter against Scotland, tickets remain up for grabs—but fans looking for a last-minute bargain are out of luck.
Unlike the season opener against England at Ellis Park, where ticket prices were slashed at the eleventh hour to draw in the crowds, SA Rugby has firmly dug its heels in. The lowest entry price for the Pretoria Test remains strictly locked at R1,050.
The Price Freeze: Why SA Rugby Won’t Budge
Following the Ellis Park ticketing saga—which left early-bird buyers frustrated after seeing late-entry prices drop to R450—SA Rugby clarified that discounts will not become standard practice.
- A Saturated Market: An SA Rugby spokesperson noted that Gauteng is currently in the middle of a massive rugby boom, hosting six top-tier rugby spectacles over a nine-week stretch, including the highly anticipated incoming tour by the All Blacks.
- No Refunds: Fans who bought full-price tickets to the England game will not be compensated, and SA Rugby expects the premium demand for international tickets in Mzansi to hold steady despite the high price tags.
The Loftus Suite Boycott?
Compounding the stadium dynamics, a major administrative standoff means that only 100 of Loftus Versfeld’s 400 private luxury suites are expected to be occupied this weekend.
An ongoing contractual dispute has seen suite holders—who already pay substantial annual rental fees—hit with additional ticket bills by SA Rugby to access their boxes for international Tests. The premium hospitality standoff has already resulted in a flurry of legal letters, meaning large portions of the corporate stands will sit visibly empty on Saturday.
