Most Springboks fans have no hope of affording ‘Rugby’s Greatest Rivalry’ ticket

The price of watching the World Champion Springboks live is once again under scrutiny, with ticket costs for the 2026 All Blacks tour prompting concern that Test rugby is slipping out of reach for ordinary fans.

Tickets went on general sale this week, with Cape Town Stadium closest to selling out, seven months ahead of the Test on 29 August. But it is the pricing, not demand, that has sparked debate.

‘Immediately, I’m out’

The cheapest available seat in Cape Town costs R850, with remaining tickets priced at R1,650, R2,850 and more than R4,000.

“For the cheapest seats in the house – R850. Immediately, I’m out,” said CapeTalk’s Lester Kiewit, adding that he had a ‘psychological and budgetary limit’ he would not cross, even for a sport he loves deeply.

Is Test rugby still ‘for the fans’?

While the tour is marketed as a celebration of the greatest rivalry in rugby, critics question what that branding means in practice.

“If these matches are branded as ‘for the fans’, what does that actually mean for the average supporter, let alone the rugby-watching family?” Kiewit asked.

He argued that fans are no longer being pushed to the cheap seats but are being ‘locked out of the stadium entirely’.

A once-off luxury

The concern is not that stadiums will sit empty. On the contrary, demand suggests otherwise.

“I don’t think there’ll be an empty stadium. I don’t think there’ll be any empty seats. People will pay,” Kiewit said.

But the warning is that attending a Test has become a once-off luxury, rather than a regular or family-friendly outing, raising uncomfortable questions about who elite rugby in South Africa is really for.

For more details, watch Kiewit below: