Rugby World Cup 2015 ticket prices plummet as disappointed England fans flood secondary ticketing website viagogo
Tickets for Rugby World Cup games are plummeting in price on secondary ticket websites after England's disastrous campaign came to an abrupt end on Saturday.
Depressed English rugby fans have flooded secondary ticketing website Viagogo with tickets to knock-out games that could have involved England, as well as the team's final fixture against Uruguay at the Etihad Stadium this weekend.
England coach Stuart Lancaster's call for his team to "put on a good performance" for the north of England appear to have fallen on deaf ears as the number of tickets available for the Uruguay match has increased 184 per cent since England suffered the ignominy of becoming the first Rugby World Cup host nation to crash out in the group stages.
Read more: Business lessons from the Rugby World Cup 2015
Tickets for the dead rubber are now trading for more than £100 less than face value. Category A tickets have fallen from £260 to £83 since England's 33-13 defeat to Australia on Saturday, while category D tickets have dropped to £34.
Before the loss to Australia, 54 per cent of Viagogo's customers were English, yet it is now excited fans of New Zealand, Argentina and Ireland who are looking for the opportunity to see their team in action.
As a result, tickets across all price categories for the quarter-final, semi-final and final have fallen. Category A tickets for the final have dropped by 44 per cent to £1,000.
In a sign of their team's contrasting fortunes, fans from England, Irish and New Zealanders are now the biggest customers for second hand final tickets.
Yet despite the fall in prices following England's calamitous performances, Viagogo told City PM that the tournament has still been beneficial for business, with customer interest in Hong Kong and Australasia beginning to pick up.
Read more: Viagogo making a splash in secondary ticketing market
"The Rugby World Cup has overtaken the football World Cup in Brazil as our highest volume event in terms of ticket sales", said Viagogo's head of communications Oliver Wheeler.
"Tickets held by England fans are now coming back onto the market which is great news if you're a fan of rugby generally and want to get a bargain. This is a perfect example of how a free market works.
"I'm surprised to see such a drop but I guess some people are just desperate to forget all about the rugby and just don't want to think about it and are putting those tickets back on the marketplace.
"We see the same thing at Wimbledon and the French Open."