Eh, sorry to double post, but I'm a bit bored so I thought I'd write up a couple of lists on the games that I'd consider to be reasonably priced and the games which I think are well over-priced. It's not the most well-written thing in the world, either, and my lack of rugby knowledge is painfully obvious here, but I hope you find it interesting, at the very least (I get a bit lazy towards the end too:
Reasonably Priced Matches:
- New Zealand vs. Argentina, most expensive ticket is £175, which I believe is a similar price tag to the one that games like Ireland vs. Australia and England vs. Scotland received in 2011. Considering that it's the All Blacks in a Rugby Championship-like fixture at Wembley, that's a pretty good deal and one that I'd definitely like to attend if I could afford flights and accommodation.
- Samoa vs. Americas 2, I can see a lot of entertainment value in this one. USA have improved a lot and defeated Georgia this year- who beat Samoa (I know that's like saying Japan's better than NZ because they beat Wales, who beat England, but you know what I mean). As one of the cheapest games in the tournament, I'd imagine that this is a pretty reasonable deal.
- South Africa vs. Samoa, always a great fixture and obviously the more appealing of the two games to be held at Villa Park. In terms of entertainment value, this should be worth the money- although £150 is pushing it a bit, pretty sure that's twice the price of the same fixture in 2011.
- South Africa vs. Scotland, I expect there'll be a lot of Scots coming down for this one and when you look at the prices of the major matches in pools A and D, this one's pretty good. Expecting a good turn-out.
- Ireland vs. Italy, same case as South Africa vs. Scotland when you compare it to other major matches. Pool D is probably the worst offender when it comes to over-pricing, but considering how important this match will be, I'm sure people won't mind paying £175, especially when you compare it to other matches that have the same price tag.
- Scotland vs. Samoa, again, a lot of people will be down from Scotland to see this one. I can see this as a pool-deciding match, so easily worth the money.
- Americas 2 vs. Asia 1, more than likely to be USA and Japan. Two of the fastest growing rugby nations, two of the best teams to have not yet qualified and considering it's one of the cheapest at the World Cup, I think this one would be worth turning out for.
- The Bronze Final, I know these have a history of being boring, passion-less matches, but there's always a sense of occasion surrounding them, and considering you can buy a ticket for something with the word "final" in it for the same price as Ireland vs. Canada, that's not so bad.
Over-Priced Matches:
- Ireland vs. Canada, ugh, I can see the empty seats already. As good as Canada is, as long as Ireland turn-up and play like they should, this result should be sealed before the spectators walk through the turnstiles. So why is this game more expensive than something like Scotland vs. Samoa?
- France vs. Italy, I'm sure there'll be a lot of French people in London during the World Cup, but £250? I just can't picture the average rugby fan paying that much for this fixture.
- Wales vs. Play-off Winner, RWC 2007, Wales vs. Japan in Cardiff anyone? See Ireland vs. Canada. I can sort of see why they'd charge a bit more, considering Wales is a host nation, but still.
- New Zealand vs. Africa 1, this could be a 100 point-plus thrashing. Again, see Ireland vs. Canada.
- Ireland vs. Europe 2, the tickets cost the same as New Zealand vs. Argentina at the same venue. Why?
- France vs. Canada, the same fixture in 2011 wasn't half this expensive. I can see very few people willing to pay £150 for this match and it's on a Thursday night
- New Zealand vs. Europe 1, I know it's the All Blacks, which will be a huge draw in itself, but see Ireland vs. Canada again.
- England vs. Play-off Winner, of all the over-priced matches on this list, this is one of the games that sticks out to me the most. I know there's only one game in Manchester, but still, the best seats here cost the same as the best seats at a quarter final. This is just gonna be another one-sided hammering. Why would you pay that much for a game with a foregone conclusion? I know it's the home side up in a place where they never play, but come one. You're not gonna attract non-rugby fans with a price tag like that.
- France vs. Ireland, simply put, £250 seems like too much for a pool game to me. Even though this match could potentially have all the qualities of the knock-out stages.
I actually don't think the prices for the key matches in Pool A are that bad. As expensive as they are, I'm confident that there'll be a lot of demand for them given the hype surrounding this pool. England vs. Oceania 1 is fine too, considering you're also getting the opening ceremony.
I'm sure the games in Newcastle, Brighton, Leeds, Birmingham, Gloucester and Exeter will all sell out fairly easily but, again, I really do fear for the crowds in Cardiff. I'm a bit worried at the sort of impact the football season will have on this world cup too. Let's cross our fingers and hope that we don't see a repeat of 1999. Speaking of football, on a more positive note, I'm quite glad that Old Trafford's not being used now after seeing what happened in the RLWC Final.
By the way, for comparisons' sake, does anyone have a list of ticket prices for the 2007 World Cup?
I know it's a bit early to be tossing around comments like this, but it'll be my first World Cup as a fan who regularly follows the game, so I'm pretty freakin' excited.
