Did you entertain the thought of trying to attend one of the major Irish sporting events of the year?
I'm talking about the Grand Slam decider between Ireland and England at Twickenham.
A quick google will show you prized tickets are being flogged for up to €5,000 online.
Unscrupulous sellers are taking advantage of those desperate to witness sporting history at Twickenham this weekend, with many tickets being offered on resale sites for well over their original value.
As you can see Viagogo.ie has scores of tickets available ranging from €919 to a staggering €4,949. UK-based Stubhub also had a number of Ireland v England tickets left for sale, with the most expensive being £3,750 (€4,226) per ticket for a seat on the lower west section of the stadium.
We all know the basic economic formula of demand v supply = commodity price, but seriously?
Surely with all the talk of blockchain, cryptocurrency and cyber security, if world governing bodies were serious about the interests of fans they would be able to clamp down on these rip off prices?
England's RFU has urged people not to purchase tickets being offered for far more than their face value.
"If you buy tickets or hospitality from a party who is not authorised by the RFU to sell them, you risk being denied entry with an invalid tickets or not receiving a ticket/hospitality at all," read a statement on the union's website.
"The RFU takes the issue of black-market tickets very seriously and is doing everything in its power to curtail the activities of unofficial sales through street touting, unauthorised ticket agencies/corporate hospitality providers, as well as internet sites such as Viagogo, eBay, Seatwave and Get Me In. "Selling tickets through secondary sites at inflated prices is against the RFU terms and conditions."
All well and good but how real is the threat of not gaining admission on the day?
As long as there is big interest in big games there will be a black market for tickets but surely there must be a better way.
Genuine fans deserve it.
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