There will be about 15,000 empty seats at Twickenham on Saturday for England’s Test against Fiji as the rugby ticket market has become saturated this year.
The Times understands that the RFU has sold about 67,000 tickets for the Autumn Nations Series match — far more than the 56,654 who attended the previous game between the sides in a 2023 World Cup warm-up, which Fiji won 30-22.
While there will be a stronger turnout than for the 2023 match, the ticket sales for this Fiji game are disappointing when compared to previous autumn fixtures against lower-ranked opponents. Last year England beat Japan 59-14 in front of a crowd that the RFU reported as about 81,000, although there were some visible gaps in the stands, and crowds in excess of 81,000 were recorded for matches against Fiji in 2016, Samoa in 2017 and Tonga in 2021.
Ticket prices for Saturday’s match range between £101 and £40 for adults, and all juniors can attend for £15. That is significantly cheaper than tickets for the All Blacks match the following Saturday, some of which were on sale for more than £200. The Australia match last weekend sold out, as has the New Zealand game. Argentina, on Sunday November 23, should push towards a full capacity but has not yet sold out.
Sales increased after England’s win over Australia but the game against Fiji is still some way short of a sell-out
BOB BRADFORD/GETTY IMAGES
The RFU is hoping to sell more tickets for the Fiji and Argentina games over the coming days. It has been advertising at both Twickenham and Richmond train stations, and on various London Underground lines.
The RFU has had an uptick in sales after England’s 25-7 win over the Wallabies last Saturday, but it believes fans have been slow to take tickets for the Fiji game for a variety of reasons. First, it has saturated the market with tickets this year by staging a home women’s World Cup. That has resulted in more rugby being played in England than at any time since the 2015 men’s World Cup, with the RFU selling more than 750,000 tickets across the men’s and women’s Six Nations, World Cup and autumn Tests this year.
Fans have also had a variety of rugby matches in London to pick from in recent weeks, with South Africa hosting Japan at Wembley last Saturday — in front of a middling crowd — and an All Blacks XV playing the Barbarians at Brentford’s Gtech Community Stadium on the same day.
This Saturday England A face an All Blacks XV at the Recreation Ground in Bath and that is close to selling out. The RFU wanted to stage this match in the north, but a slate of football fixtures in that part of the country put paid to that plan.
It is understood the RFU has aimed this Fiji game at families, hence the £15 junior tickets, but the 5.40pm kick-off time has been a little unhelpful in attracting that market.
Before Saturday’s match the RFU is encouraging fans to download an app on their mobile phones which they can use to take part in a light show, alongside a music track, to build atmosphere before kick-off. It has taken inspiration from the band Coldplay, who give fans wristbands which shine during their stadium concerts.