Springboks vs Scotland at Loftus Versfeld: Only 3500 Tickets Left As Crowd Builds

• The Springboks' Nations Championship clash against Scotland at Loftus Versfeld on Saturday
• The remaining tickets are largely in the most expensive R2 500 bracket, with prices ranging from R750 to R2 500 across four tiers
• A hospitality suite dispute between SA Rugby and suite holders could leave up to 300 corporate boxes empty despite the near-capacity crowd

The Springboks' Nations Championship Test against Scotland at Loftus Versfeld on Saturday is close to a sell-out, with roughly 3 500 tickets still on the market ahead of a 17:40 kick-off.

The Pretoria venue holds approximately 50 000 spectators, meaning the overwhelming majority of seats have already been snapped up. Of the tickets that remain, most fall in the priciest category at R2 500 each. The four available price tiers are R750, R1 050, R1 850 and R2 500.

Strong Demand After England Test Troubles

The near-sell-out figures are notable given that SA Rugby faced a contrasting situation just a week earlier. For the Springboks' Test against England at Ellis Park in Johannesburg, the governing body was forced to reduce ticket prices after initial sales moved slowly. In spite of those late adjustments, the match drew a crowd of 52 790 at the 62 000-capacity stadium, delivering a memorable atmosphere for the reigning world champions.

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Demand for the Scotland fixture at Loftus appears to have been more organic from the outset, with the bulk of seats sold without requiring a last-minute pricing intervention.

Suite Dispute Could Leave Corporate Boxes Empty

Despite the healthy general sales, a separate row over corporate hospitality could result in a conspicuous number of empty suites on matchday. According to SA Rugby Mag, only around 100 of Loftus Versfeld's 400 private suites are expected to be occupied for the Test.

At the centre of the dispute is a requirement by SA Rugby that suite holders pay an additional fee to use their boxes during Springbok Test matches, on top of the annual rental fees they already cover. Many suite owners have chosen to leave their boxes unused in protest against that arrangement, meaning that even as the general stands fill up, a large portion of the stadium's corporate infrastructure will sit vacant.

The disagreement remains unresolved, and there is no indication that a settlement will be reached before Saturday's fixture.

Even with the corporate sections likely to be quiet, Loftus Versfeld is widely expected to produce another charged atmosphere as the Springboks push forward in their Nations Championship campaign.

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Springboks star celebrates after hitting 50th cap

Briefly News previously reported that Springbok speedster Cheslin Kolbe described reaching the 50-Test milestone as a dream come true after helping South Africa to a convincing 45-21 victory over England on Saturday.

The electric winger celebrated his landmark appearance in style, scoring a try and adding five successful conversions as the Springboks opened their Nations Championship campaign with an impressive bonus-point win.

Source: Briefly News