“I just hope that what happened to those All Blacks fans will serve as a warning to others when they decide to pay way over the odds for a ticket for a game at the Millennium Stadium,” said Sergeant.
The group, largely back packers, had paid £120 per head to a London-based company Wanderers World for a pre-match b-b-q and a ticket for the big game at the 74,500 capacity Millennium Stadium. In the end, 50 tickets arrived shortly after the 4.00pm kick-off and the majority of fans were left having to find a TV screen on which to watch their side triumph 41-3.
“The first we knew of these problems was when we received a call from the police shortly before kick-off. It was a situation that was out of our hands and one which we have been warning people against for quite some time,” said Sergeant. “I don’t know where this company was due to get its tickets from, but it certainly wasn’t from an authorised WRU source. How one company could guarantee so many tickets to game as high profile as Wales v New Zealand baffles me.
“I feel genuinely sorry for the fans who had their day ruined by Wanderers World and I hope they get all their money back. After all, someone has banked in excess of £70,000 from these innocent people.
“With further games against South Africa and Australia to come, I would like to reiterate the same strong message we’ve been sending out since tickets first went on sale for the Invesco Perpetual Series – don’t buy tickets over the internet, only buy from legitimate sources and don’t pay over the odds. It simply isn’t worth it!
“Even today I read a newspaper advert from one hospitality company that promised ‘guaranteed first class match tickets’. How can anyone guarantee a ticket without getting it from an official source and we certainly aren’t providing tickets to these rogue elephants.
“The WRU member clubs fully understand the consequences of selling their tickets on to such companies and our research into breaches of our new ticketing policy show that we are starting to get to grips with the problem.
“We are trying our best to stop Welsh rugby being exploited by the unofficial corporate hospitality market. Why should those who do not wish to deal with us, and share some of their £1m or more profit from the Welsh game this season, be able to benefit from all the hard work and organisation that the WRU, Millennium Stadium, Cardiff City Council and the service industry puts into staging major international events.
“The more successful the Welsh team becomes, and the greater the demand for the tickets, the more these unofficial companies try to prey on our game. We will do everything in our power to make their lives as difficult as possible, including continuing our campaign with other governing bodies to canvass the government to change the law on ticketing touting to include rugby union.”
While all the tickets for the games against South Africa and Australia have been sold, the WRU still has a few official hospitality packages left for any fans who want to be certain of seeing either game.
“If anyone is unsure of the validity of their tickets for any game at the Millennium Stadium, or is uncertain of the status of any hospitality company offering packages to games in Cardiff, then please do not hesitate to give us a call,” added Sergeant. “What happened last weekend is bad news for everyone and dents the credibility of all of us involved in the event. We are working very hard to stop this sort of thing from happening because we want to protect the innocent fans and stop the millions of pounds of profits that these rogue traders drain out of rugby union every year.”
If you wish to learn more about the official hospitality packages being offered by the WRU for the games against South Africa and Australia then please call log on to www.wru.co.uk or www.millenniumstadium.com for full details.
Official hospitality packages are available in three categories for the remaining matches at the Millennium Stadium in November.
The prices, excluding VAT, are as follows:
South Africa £299; Australia £349
Exclusive Suite: South Africa £229; Australia £299
On-Site Marquee: South Africa 119; Australia: £189
For further information, or to purchase your package, please contact Emma Rogers on 029 2082 2410 or email corporatehospitality@wru.co.uk.
