South Africa Rugby takes action over ticket dispute

South Africa Rugby Union has announced that it is seeking legal redress against unauthorised travel agencies following complaints from supporters who were left without tickets for Saturday’s Springboks Test against New Zealand in Cape Town.

SA Rugby takes action over ticket dispute

The SARU confirmed the move just hours before the Springboks faced the All Blacks at DHL Stadium in the second Test of their four-match Greatest Rivalry series.

A number of supporters had reported being left without tickets despite purchasing packages through travel agencies and other unofficial channels.

SA Rugby said some agencies subsequently blamed the governing body for the problems, a claim the union strongly rejected.

According to SA Rugby, certain travel agencies claimed failures by the union had resulted in their customers being unable to receive tickets for the sold-out Cape Town Test.

The governing body said those claims were incorrect and confirmed that the matter had been handed to its legal representatives.

"SA Rugby is seeking legal redress against travel agencies who have claimed that failures on the part of SA Rugby were responsible for fans being left ticketless for today’s Castle Double Malt Rugby’s Greatest Rivalry Test at DHL Stadium," read a statement from SARU.

"In subsequent communication with disappointed clients, claims have been made that the issue lay at the door of SA Rugby. This is completely untrue".

Springboks-All Blacks Test sold out in Cape Town

The ticket dispute emerged ahead of one of the biggest fixtures of the 2026 rugby calendar, with DHL Stadium sold out for the latest meeting between South Africa and New Zealand.

The Cape Town Test is the second match of the four-Test series after New Zealand defeated the Springboks 33-16 at Ellis Park in Johannesburg in the opening encounter.