World Cup shock: Empty seats for Springboks v England

The day has arrived for the Springboks to tackle England in the hopes of securing a victory that would put them through to another World Cup final.

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There is no doubt that South Africa are favourites, but they will want to be wary of an England side that is embracing the underdog tag as they head into this second semi-final.

The match at Stade de France will kick off at 21:00 (SA and France time), but a notable report has now come to light to suggest it will not be a sell out.

According to an article that was run by UK’s Daily Mail, France 2023’s exclusive ticket sales control, backed by a court ruling, forces returned tickets to be resold at the original price.

It is believed that over 2 000 tickets were still available for the showdown, priced up to £300 (R6 705), with hundreds of premium seats costing £500 (R11 175) unsold. In contrast, other major sports events offer ticket resale options for fans, promoting affordability and accessibility.

“Attempts to control markets harm fans by limiting their choice, flexibility and access,” ticket exchange and ticket resale brand Viagogo’s managing director Cris Miller told Mail Sport.

“It also risks empty seats when so many people would love to experience these huge events.”

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Springboks v England match information

Date: Saturday, October 21
Venue: Stade de France, Saint-Denis
Kick-off: 21.00 (19.00 GMT; 20.00 UK & Ireland time; 21.00 SAST)
Referee: Ben O’Keeffe (New Zealand)
Assistant referees: Andrew Brace (Ireland), Paul Williams (New Zealand)
TMO: Brendon Pickerill (New Zealand)

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STATS AND FACTS:

Springbok record against England:
Played: 45; Won 27; Lost 16; Drawn 2; Points for 972; Points against 769; Tries scored: 88; Tries against: 58; Highest score: 58-10; Biggest win 48 points. Win percentage 60%.

Milestones:

• It will be Eben Etzebeth’s 11^th Test match against England, joining Tendai Mtawarira, John Smit and Joost van der Westhuizen all in second place. Four other Springboks are on a record 12 career caps against England.
• The loose trio of Siya Kolisi, Pieter-Steph du Toit and Duane Vermeulen will start as combination for the 15^th time, putting them alone in second place on the list behind Francois Louw, Willem Alberts and Vermeulen (17).
• Eben Etzebeth and Franco Mostert will move into third place on the list of lock combinations with their 26th start as second row partners, behind Victor Matfield and Bakkies Botha (63), and Etzebeth and Lood de Jager (39).

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Miscellaneous:

• Handré Pollard has scored seven conversions (second place) in his six appearances against England but holds the record with 19 penalty goals.
• Saturday’s semi-final is the sixth RWC clash between the Boks and England. South Africa won in the 1999 quarter-final (44-21) in Paris; the pool game (36-0) and final (15-6) in 2007, both in Paris; and the final (32-12) in Yokohama in 2019. England won the pool game in Perth in 2003 (25-6).
• Kurt-Lee Arendse starts the match with a full-house of tries, with 13 five-pointers in in 13 Tests to date.
• This will be the fourth time the Springboks and England clash in a Rugby World Cup match in Paris, after the playoff in 1999 and two encounters in 2007.
• England have scored just one try across their five meetings with South Africa in the RWC – during their 25-6 pool win in 2003.
• South Africa (8.0) and England (8.6) have conceded fewer penalties per game than any other sides to have reached the semi-finals of this year’s Rugby World Cup, with only France and Japan (7 each) averaging fewer overall.
• The Springbok starting team on Saturday will be the most experienced ever selected for South Africa with a combined total of 895 Test caps – four more than the 891 against Samoa in Birmingham in 2015.
• There are 264 caps in the backline, with 631 caps among the forwards. On the bench there are a further 367 caps.
• The average caps per player in the backline is 37, the forwards 78, while the players on the bench average 45.