NZ Rugby forced to cancel All Blacks tickets re-sold through illegitimate channels

New Zealand Rugby has gone to the unprecedented lengths of cancelling 700 tickets to the All Blacks v South Africa test match.

The governing body of NZ rugby have released a media statement confirming that the tickets will be re-released through legitimate channels.

The full release is below:

All Blacks fans reminded to only buy tickets through legitimate channels

New Zealand Rugby (NZR) is reminding rugby fans to purchase tickets to the All Blacks Test matches through legitimate channels, after being advised by Ticketek to cancel more than 700 tickets for the Investec Rugby Championship Test against South Africa.

The cancelled tickets were those classified as “fraudulent sales” and would not be valid if presented at Westpac Stadium on 27 July.

Anyone concerned about the validity of tickets purchased on secondary market channels, such as Viagogo, can contact Ticketqueries@nzrugby.co.nz.

With the All Blacks Test against South Africa close to a sell-out, the decision to cancel the tickets means 700 tickets will become available to the general public today at tickets.allblacks.com.

NZR Chief Commercial Officer Richard Thomas said cancelling the tickets was a matter of taking a stand against fraud.

“Unfortunately, it is highly likely that some of these tickets will have already been on-sold to unknowing fans on the secondary market and those fans may only discover their tickets are invalid when they present them at the gate at Westpac Stadium.

“Our message to fans is that if you choose to buy All Blacks tickets on the secondary market through online resellers like Viagogo, you run a huge risk of not entering the venue or having to pay inflated prices for tickets."

- New Zealand Rugby