Rugby World Cup 2015 Reminds Fans of Official Ticketing Options

Fan experience is a priority for Tournament owners Rugby World Cup Limited (RWCL) and Tournament organisers England Rugby 2015, who continue to warn fans that they risk being misled or let down if they purchase tickets, supporter tours, hospitality and merchandise from unauthorised sources.

While England 2015 is proving ‘Too Big To Miss’, there are still a number of official routes to tickets to Rugby World Cup 2015. Fans who are yet to secure their place are directed to www.rugbyworldcup.com/ticketing for information about the official options:

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The advice follows the launch of an official global campaign aimed at educating and encouraging fans to buy official. At the heart of the campaign is a video featuring a Jonny Wilkinson lookalike practising his place-kicking under floodlights. At the point at which he strikes the ball it becomes clear that he is in fact a fake. A strapline appears which says ‘it’s not always easy to spot a fake’.

The campaign also reminds fans that if they have any doubt about the source of their tickets, they can access a dedicated official checker at www.rugbyworldcup.com/buyofficial that will enable them to verify whether their Rugby World Cup 2015 tickets, supporter tours or hospitality source are official, a first for Rugby World Cup. This is accompanied by a simple official guide that provides advice on what to look for when buying RWC 2015 merchandise and also includes a list of official sources.

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RWCL and England Rugby 2015 are working with the full support of the City of London Police, the leading UK force on fraud, in a comprehensive approach to inform, educate and protect fans. England Rugby 2015 also have very strict terms and conditions in place and reserve the right to refuse entry to the tournament if tickets have not been purchased through the official channels.

RWCL Chairman Bernard Lapasset said: “Rugby World Cup 2015 promises to be a very special celebration of the sport. Ensuring a superb experience for fans is our priority and we are advising everyone to buy Rugby World Cup 2015 tickets, hospitality, supporter tours and merchandise from official sources only to avoid disappointment. There are still plenty of great official options across the tournament.”

England Rugby 2015 CEO Debbie Jevans added: “We were thrilled with the number of applications during the September sale, which saw record demand for Rugby World Cup tickets. With such a high demand there is inevitably going to be disappointment for fans but we urge them not to buy tickets from unofficial sources in order to avoid further disappointment. 300,000 tickets are still available for some great games so there is still plenty of opportunity to be at Rugby World Cup 2015.”

City of London Police Commander Steve Head, Police National Coordinator for Economic Crime, said: “Rugby World Cup is a massive event which will be followed by millions of people across the UK and around the world. However, the unfortunate reality is that fraudsters will also be eyeing up this tournament as an opportunity to make a lot of money through sophisticated and very convincing online ticketing scams.”

“The City of London Police, which is the National Policing Lead for Fraud, continues to work in partnership with Rugby World Cup Limited and England Rugby 2015 to make all Rugby fans aware of this danger. Together we are urging people who want to attend a Rugby World Cup match to only buy from official outlets and to check the official Rugby World Cup 2015 website if they are unsure about a provider’s credibility. Doing this will keep the ticketing fraudsters at bay and ensure Rugby fans get to enjoy what should be a truly great sporting occasion.”

“It is also very important that victims of Rugby World Cup ticketing scams contact Action Fraud and make an official report. This information will be swiftly sent to our National Fraud Intelligence Bureau and used to identify and track down those responsible and disrupt and dismantle their criminal networks.”