Ticket sales for the Springboks’ home Test matches in the Incoming Series and Rugby Championship will go on public sale at noon on 9 March in a unique, coordinated launch.
Hosting venues for the Incoming Series against Wales and the Rugby Championship matches have aligned their on-sale dates for the first time.
Virtual card-holding clients of Springbok partner FNB will have an ‘early-bird’ window to snap up seats on 7 and 8 March, with public sales opening at 12pm on 9 March for most venues.
In the past, the hosting venues have launched their ticket sales in an ad hoc manner, but this year SA Rugby and the host unions have aligned on a coordinated approach, considering the significance of the season.
The announcement offers light at the end of a long dark tunnel as rugby supporters have been barred from attending home Springbok matches in South Africa for the past two years because of Covid-19 restrictions.
The last time Springbok fans attended a Test in South Africa was more than two-and-a-half years ago – a 24-18 victory over Argentina on 19 August 2019 at Loftus Versfeld.
The Springboks did not play at all in 2020 because of the pandemic and in 2021 the Lions series and two tests against Argentina in the Rugby Championship were played behind closed doors.
Fans have been permitted to return to matches in 2022 and the expectation is that the current limit of 2,000 per match will be relaxed over the coming months.
That means:
- The Boks’ season opener against Wales at Loftus Versfeld (2 July) will be the first time in six weeks short of three years that home fans will be able to see the team live;
- It will be four years since the Boks played in Bloemfontein (9 July vs Wales);
- And the third Test against Wales (16 July) will be the first time the team has played at Cape Town Stadium in Cape Town in front of a crowd.
Those matches are followed by the double-header against New Zealand – at Mbombela Stadium and Ellis Park on 6 and 13 August, respectively – before the home season closer at Kings Park on 24 September.
Tickets are priced within a broad range with all venues offering an entry level price of R150 (R200 at Ellis Park) with top-priced tickets at R1,500 for the mouthwatering mini series against the All Blacks.
Tickets for the three Wales Tests in Pretoria, Bloemfontein and Cape Town as well as the match against New Zealand in Johannesburg are available from Ticketpro by clicking here.
Tickets for the All Black Test in Nelspruit are available from Computicket by clicking here.
Tickets for the Rugby Championship match against Argentina in Durban in September will go on sale within the next month.
SA Rugby is hopeful that the current restrictions on crowd size will be relaxed in the coming weeks to bring to life the exciting prospect of seeing the Boks run out once again in front of thousands of cheering fans.
Government’s prevailing health and safety requirements at the time of the matches will be in place and rugby fans are urged to make sure they’re vaccinated to ensure entry into the venues.
SA Rugby and the host unions again urged supporters to only buy from authorised outlets (Ticketpro and Computicket) and no other ticketing outlets, suppliers or resellers, to avoid being ripped off at massively inflated prices. These tickets cannot be guaranteed.
The full local Test schedule with ticket price range is:
Castle Lager Incoming Series fixtures (kick-off times TBC):
- Saturday, 2 July: Springboks vs Wales – Loftus Versfeld, Pretoria – R150 to R1,000
- Saturday, 9 July: Springboks vs Wales – Toyota Stadium, Bloemfontein – R150 to R1,000
- Saturday, 16 July: Springboks vs Wales – Cape Town Stadium, Cape Town – R150 to R1,250
Castle Lager Rugby Championship fixtures (kick-off times TBC):
- Saturday, 6 August: Springboks vs NZ – Mbombela Stadium, Nelspruit – R150 to R1,500
- Saturday, 13 August: Springboks vs NZ – Emirates Airline Park, Johannesburg – R200 to R1,500
- Saturday, 24 September: Springboks vs Argentina – Hollywoodbets Kings Park, Durban – R150 to R800
Photo: Chris Hyde/Getty Images
