You probably notice that a couple of stories down I was selling 3 tickets for the Wales V Japan Rugby World Cup Pool match in the Millennium Stadium. I'm glad to say I sold them, and got face value for them too. Which is great considering the number of empty seats that I can see on the TV as I watch Wales demolish the (mostly) Japanese opposition.

{mosimage}The tickets I bought were a few pence off £45 each. And these weren't even the most expensive. No…they were one rung up form the cheapest seats. Top price tickets were over £100, which for a Pool match in the World Cup is quite frankly obscene.

I can expect that maybe a quarter or semi would stump up the prices a little, but putting that kind of fee on a Pool match is madness. And now the IRB is paying the price, with the second largest stadium in the tournament is less than a third full. I hope someone is listening.

There is far too much emphasis on the corporate pandering in international tournaments. Rugby does not have the high profile of something like football, but it is obvious that the IRB think there is. And while the majority of stadiums that are hosting matches will not look as empty as Cardiff does tonight, they are certainly not all full.

{mosimage}Last week's Wales v Australia match was one of the biggest games in the pool rounds, and as expected it was a full house. Tickets were changing hands for hundreds of pounds,  but not every game has this profile…maybe two per group at best. There are going to be many games that the corporate whores won't be interested in, and those seats will go begging. Japan v Fiji last week only had about 30,000 attendance and you wouldn't even get a high turnout in the local populace for that one if the national team aren't playing. I mean, I wouldn't pay £45 to see two teams play who I have no interest in. £15 maybe…

I cannot get my head around this attitude. Surely to grow the sport in the countries where these matches are held, and to provide a worldwide platform that advertises Rugby Union as a fantastic spectator's sport must rely on packed venues and a carnival atmosphere. This is the WORLD CUP…not the world cup… 

I hope the backlash to the ticket prices is felt with the Powers. Taking rugby away from the grassroots will only ultimately damage the game. Rugby in Wales is hit and miss at best, but it would have been fantastic to see thousands of kids cheering on Wales tongiht. And while there are certainly more children than a grade A game, there could have been far more. This must have been an option for the WRU in case of a minimal turnout for a match, and it would be nice if some forethought was put in incase of just this eventuality.