Staff Reporter.
Ticket sales for the Springboks’ home test matches will go on public sale at noon on 9 March in a unique, coordinated launch.
Hosting venues for the Castle Lager Incoming Series against Wales and the Castle Lager 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 12h00 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 a Springbok fan 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 Castle Lager Lions Series and two tests against Argentina in the Castle Lager 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.
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 re-sellers, to avoid being ripped off at massively inflated prices. These tickets cannot be guaranteed.
Castle Lager Incoming Series Fixtures (Kick-Off Times TBC):
Saturday, 2 July: Springboks v Wales – Loftus Versfeld, Pretoria – R150 to R1,000
Saturday, 9 July: Springboks v Wales – Toyota Stadium, Bloemfontein – R150 to R1,000
Saturday, 16 July: Springboks v Wales – DHL Stadium, Cape Town – R150 to R1,250
CASTLE LAGER RUGBY CHAMPIONSHIP FIXTURES (KICK-OFF TIMES TBC):
Saturday, 6 August: Springboks v NZ – Mbombela Stadium, Nelspruit – R150 to R1,500
Saturday, 13 August: Springboks v NZ – Emirates Airline Park, Johannesburg – R200 to R1,500
Saturday, 24 September: Springboks v Argentina – Hollywoodbets Kings Park, Durban – R150 to R800.