The French Rugby Federation (FFR) received an official allocation of 5,000 tickets for the match, yet 20,000 French supporters were inside the 67,140-capacity Murrayfield Stadium for the clash, which Scotland won 50-40 back in March.
These are tickets that would have been snapped up by Scotland fans if they had been made available to them directly.
Scotland Rugby News can reveal that tickets had been distributed to Scottish amateur clubs, whose members sold on 2,000 tickets to French fans. National team sponsors and stakeholders, universities, referees’ societies, among others, were also given tickets earmarked primarily for Scottish fans.
As there is no evidence to suggest that any of the other groups, apart from certain clubs that the SRU refuse to name, sold on tickets, it is assumed that the remaining 13,000 were bought by the French fans straight from the Scottish Rugby ticket app, which they legitimately paid to join.
Scottish Rugby have launched a crackdown on ticket touts (Image: Colorsport/Shutterstock)
That French fans were able to pay to join the Scotland Supporters Club and get tickets ahead of Scottish fans for such an in-demand fixture won’t go down well with Scotland fans, which is why the new ticketing regime at Murrayfield is trying to do something about it.
The vast resale of the tickets – some Scottish clubs passed on their full allocation – and French fans buying direct sparked alarm bells at Murrayfield and prompted the SRU to look for opportunities to adopt new technologies to minimise the risks of ticket touting.
The reselling of Murrayfield tickets on such a scale for the France game was spotted by a new ticketing team within the SRU, who now have access to a higher level of information via their ticketing app, which they didn’t have in previous years, and they will now try to ensure such a situation does not arise again.
There will always be a few tickets passed on by people unable to make it or buying them for family members abroad, but never has it been revealed on such an unprecedented scale that 15,000 fans using mobile phones with French numbers getting so many tickets set aside for followers of Scotland, on top of the 5,000 officially given to the FFR.
Scotland captain Sione Tuipulotu lifted the Auld Alliance Trophy following March’s 50-40 win over France (Image: Jane Barlow)
The SRU found that some Scottish clubs had transferred or resold their entire ticket allocations, opening the door for large numbers of opposition supporters to secure seats. They made clear that the only official link-up they have is with Mike Burton Travel and that they have no association with Viagogo, which specialises in the resale of tickets.
That was not always the case, and back in 2013, Viagogo were the title sponsor for the Scotland autumn series at Murrayfield under a three-year deal.
The SRU had intended to change the system to make it harder to resell tickets, but has put it on hold for further discussions with clubs that are allocated international tickets.
In the most updated letter to clubs, the SRU stated: “We remain concerned about the resale of tickets at inflated prices and the risk of tickets intended for Scotland Rugby supporters being misused.
“We will continue to monitor the volume of tickets made available for resale, with the aim of ensuring genuine Scottish Rugby supporters can purchase tickets at face value.
“There will be no reduction in the overall number of tickets protected for club access. The method by which eligible members access those tickets is changing, but the intention is not to reduce the opportunity for clubs and their members to obtain tickets.
“No wider change to eligibility for access to the club ticketing scheme will be implemented without further consultation.
“This includes any further approach to non-playing clubs, rugby organisations, referees societies, universities or other bodies currently accessing tickets through the club ticketing route.
“The revised direct purchasing process is intended to allow eligible club members to purchase tickets directly through Scottish Rugby, using a secure link and access code provided through their club.
“Payment will be taken at checkout, and tickets will be issued digitally through the official ticketing app.
“Club ticket secretaries will continue to have an important role in keeping club ticketing portals up to date and ensuring that access is provided only to those properly entitled to use the club ticketing route.
“We recognise that this is an important volunteer role, and we will provide further guidance and support to help clubs manage the transition.”
Kyle Steyn scored two of Scotland’s seven tries against France (Image: Stuart Wallace/Shutterstock)
The SRU also made clear that ticket access will remain a protected route for eligible clubs and members going forward.
They also state that there is no dynamic pricing for club ticket sales, tickets must not be resold or placed on secondary ticketing sites, ticket limits may apply for particular high-demand fixtures, as has been the case previously, and any future material changes to access, transferability, eligibility or sanctions will be subject to further structured engagement.”
The governing body went on to thank the clubs for their constructive feedback on the issue, which they intend to put right.
“We appreciate the importance of international ticket access to clubs and members, and we are committed to ensuring that any future arrangements are clear, fair, workable and properly understood,” concluded the letter to all clubs.