SA Rugby CEO Jurie Roux used the lottery ticket analogy on Tuesday to talk about the importance of registering online for the right to see the British and Irish Lions here next year. Rugby fans can book South Africa Invitational Vs British And Irish Lions Tickets on our website on exclusively discounted prices.
In an even broader context, he could have said that to be a
big winner you need a ticket and that is perhaps the way South Africans should
approach the long-awaited tour. SA Rugby on Tuesday urged local fans to
register and go on the ballot at www.lionstour2021.co.za “between” September
2-16 to avoid disappointment.
Despite what some may argue is exorbitant prices, there will
be a ticket stampede, especially in the UK and Ireland once travel gets easier
and we have learned to better deal with the vagaries of the Covid-19 pandemic.
Of course, in the coming months, the pandemic will cast a
long and ominous shadow over the tour, but the organizers have crossed their
hygienic fingers.
The cheapest trial ticket is a Category D offer for R500 and
the price increases considerably as you go down to the best seats in the house.
Category C tickets cost R1 250, Category B will sell for R2 000, while the
beautiful seats will cost you R3 000. These prices compare favorably with those
set for the 2009 Lions tour.
For matches outside of Trials, prices vary from venue to
venue, but the lowest-priced ticket for a Lions match next year will be for
matches in Port Elizabeth and Nelspruit, which will cost R100. What South
Africans must ask themselves is whether the entertainment on offer is
commensurate with the face value of the ticket amid a contracting economy and
an underperforming Rand.
British
and Irish Lions
They will be less bothered by the fact that the price is very
competitive compared to other international sporting events of a similar type. A
trial ticket for the 2017 B&I Lions series in New Zealand would have cost
you around R1 800 for the cheapest seat. A category A ticket to last year's
Rugby World Cup final cost around R16, 800.
What South Africans will also want to know is whether they
will get the most out of their investment. In short, the series will pit the
Rugby World Cup champions against a team comprising the best of Great Britain
and Ireland that have not lost a series since their last tour here in 2009.
That in itself has great promise. The fact that Lions tours
are on the hazard list should also influence the deliberations of the locals.
They no longer have the providence that they once had on the game schedule.
As revered as those who participate in them, they are like
the fabulously festive guy who walks by with a bulky duffel bag and then
disappears like a leap year. The much-debated world rugby calendar is being
shaped and it remains to be seen what footprint the Lions' tours will have.
For the past several decades, almost all the energy and
excitement on Lions tours have gone into test matches. Commercially, midweek
games, we are told, have become a tough sell for broadcasters. In an
increasingly congested calendar, it's no wonder Lions tours have become more of
a city break than a safari.
South
Africa
In 1980, Bill Beaumont's Lions played 18 games, on their
next visit to South Africa they played 13, while on their last visit in 2009
they were sold out 10 times. Next year's tour includes just eight matches. You
can see where this is headed.
The lions tours may not be what they used to be, but when
you look at them you are left with the feeling that you are getting a piece of
history. The fact is, Lions tours are legendary. We are tied to the sport's
past like no other steam or jet-set odyssey team.
They evoke images of camaraderie and combat, brotherhood and
blood, mischief and threats, jubilation, and daydreaming. Lions tours take us
back to a time when the clock seemed to stop and only the moment mattered.
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