Am I ****ing mad or what?

Snickers Man

As a Leinster season ticket holder I have just been "invited" to participate in a Ticketmaster lottery for tickets for home internationals this season.

€61 to see Italy
€71 to see Wales or Scotland.

But the kicker is a further €6.95 "service charge" PER TICKET.

Why is it the little extra ie nearly €28 for four tickets that pisses us off so much?

Of course I bit their hand off and the bid is in already. But do club members have to pay this nonsense charge?

Timothy Bryce

Snickers Man wrote: »

As a Leinster season ticket holder I have just been "invited" to participate in a Ticketmaster lottery for tickets for home internationals this season.

€61 to see Italy
€71 to see Wales or Scotland.

But the kicker is a further €6.95 "service charge" PER TICKET.

Why is it the little extra ie nearly €28 for four tickets that pisses us off so much?

Of course I bit their hand off and the bid is in already. But do club members have to pay this nonsense charge?

I got this too and am disgusted TBH. Of course I did likewise and registered!

You're probably better off holding on to see what the clubs offer. Last year I got 2 tickets to each of the home games...they were in Hill 16 but I didn't complain! Hoping for something similar this time around

Ticketmaster are beginning to really tick me off with their service charges etc.

Santa Claus

Snickers Man wrote: »

But the kicker is a further €6.95 "service charge" PER TICKET.

Of course I bit their hand off and the bid is in already. But do club members have to pay this nonsense charge?

Club members don't because they pick up their tickets from the club who get them directly from the IRFU....only when ticketmonster get inviolved do service charges come into play !

Mushy

Snickers Man wrote: »

As a Leinster season ticket holder I have just been "invited" to participate in a Ticketmaster lottery for tickets for home internationals this season.

€61 to see Italy
€71 to see Wales or Scotland.

But the kicker is a further €6.95 "service charge" PER TICKET.

Why is it the little extra ie nearly €28 for four tickets that pisses us off so much?

Of course I bit their hand off and the bid is in already. But do club members have to pay this nonsense charge?

so I guess ya dont go to many conccerts then? Its a ridiculous charge, especially when they call it a "Convenience Charge".

Plus those prices for those teams...thats shameful.

Snickers Man

Mushy wrote: »

so I guess ya dont go to many conccerts then? Its a ridiculous charge, especially when they call it a "Convenience Charge".

Plus those prices for those teams...thats shameful.

Not many no. I think they've figured that it's the most "inelastic" market out there. No matter what you charge, people will still pony up and go. But I must admit, I did gasp at being asked to pay neary 80 euro per ticket to go see Scotland.

Santa Claus

Snickers Man wrote: »

But I must admit, I did gasp at being asked to pay neary 80 euro per ticket to go see Scotland.

Be a man and get tickets for the Hill (not the same as the east terrace but next best thing).
2 terrace tickets for all 3 home games cost me 190 quid !

Also it doesn't matter a great deal who the opposition is, you'll going along to support your national team.....Start picking and choosing which matches you want to go to and next you'll be asking where the prawn sandwich shop in croker is !!!

daveirl

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Santa Claus

daveirl wrote: »

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Remember Dave that the IRFU pay the Munster players wages so you're supporting munster (and helping to pay Dougy Howlett) by buying Irish tickets!

daveirl

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CJhaughey

I am not going anywhere near the 6N, and the IRFU can kiss me where the sun doesn't shine as far as support for the National Team is concerned.
I am not willing to reward stupidity with my money.
Fair enough the IRFU contribute towards Munster rugby but jersey sales and all the little things during the season like programmes and the like all help too.
For the moment I am happy paying towards Tipoki's and Mafi's wages with my season ticket.

testicle

So when do us Munster Supporters Club members get offered tix - we use ticketmaster also...

daveirl
I'll stick to Munster & club rugby.

Fanboi

Santa Claus

In fairness, it's all been Munster first and Ireland second in recent years for a lot of fans (while chasing the holy grail of Heineken) and given the fact that a lot of the munster fans travel to their away matches I suppose the costs mount up (I went to Toulouse and Edinburgh with leinster and toulouse cost a bloody fortune as I flew into paris with idea of taking train and then france went on strike so had to hire a car).

BUT, a national team is not just for a world cup....it's for life !

So if you don't go to any of the Ireland games this year, don't moan when you can't get tickets next year and Ireland is back on form!
(I know in my own club if you don't take the tickets for 6N matches this year then you've feck all chance of being considered for autumn and 6N package of tickets next year!)

toomevara

If people want to continue paying professional prices to watch a semi-professional team fart about not winning much of anything at all and constantly falling short of their alleged 'potential' when the real pressure is on/the big boys come calling, thats pretty much up to them. International rugby union is chronically over priced in all jurisdictions but in Ireland its utterly hilarious....

Reasons I'll not be going anywhere near Ireland this season:

1. Unprofessional set up...according to Genesis AKA "how-to-waste-C-250- grand-on-paying-a-bunch-of-eejits-to-tell-you-something-you-all-ready-know" (in language so dense, impenetrable and non-commital that you'll have to spend another ten grand on hiring a professional bull****ter to translate it into 'human' for you).we need a psychologist and a backs coach..well durr.....how 'irish' is that? A decade into full pofessionalism and we still dont have them, if you dont laugh, you'll probably cry.......

2. The Irish rugby setup is a a feudal fiefdom run by one man, Fieldmarshall EOS who is about as accountable and amenable to criticism as Genghis Khan. His man managment and squad selection skills are laughable, and he changes direction/tactics about as quickly as Beth Ditto in a cake shop. Any player/management serf bold enough to criticise his collapsing reich (think hitler in the bunker in '45) vill be sent to ze Russian front (or Connacht). I'm not subsidising that, no siree-bob...I got better things to waste money on.....

3. Irish Players are craven and cowardly in the face of all this. Not a pair of balls in evidence between the lot of 'em and the way in which the IRUPA have rubberstamped the genesis report by allowing themselves to be co-opted into this laughable farrago shows that the body which allegedly has the players interests at heart is prepared to 'Squeal like a pig' when the buck toothed hillbilly bum lover that is the IRFU come a callin'. Shameful and embarrasing.

IRFU me hole. Rugby's a professional game now and we should demand professional standards from those that purport to run the show in this country. Until then, I'm sticking to Munster......

daveirl

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cgarvey

Given the IRFU is a union, shouldn't all these motions of unhappiness (well founded, undisputedly) be channeled through the club. I can't understand all the discontent out there, yet we've heard nothing from clubs. All a bit too cosy for my liking. The ball is in the clubs' courts now. No amount of us not attending Ireland matches is going to change anything.

old boy

i said during the world cup the longer people pay to see the irish team the longer ther will be no change in the setup, the irfu have money for everything bar common sense and brains

daveirl

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toomevara

cgarvey wrote: »

No amount of us not attending Ireland matches is going to change anything.

Hmmm, I'd have to disagree there, not that its ever going to happen or anything, but if there was a significant tail off in box office at internationals things would certainly change. But of course international match days in Ireland arent about the grass roots fan, they're about the corporate big boys and rugby hangers on. The match day atmosphere has significantly changed of late with the recent croker games providing an upward spike in an otherwise increasingly downward trend. Too many tourists and fair weather fans getting hold of tickets....

Stev_o

toomevara wrote: »

Hmmm, I'd have to disagree there, not that its ever going to happen or anything, but if there was a significant tail off in box office at internationals things would certainly change. But of course international match days in Ireland arent about the grass roots fan, they're about the corporate big boys and rugby hangers on. The match day atmosphere has significantly changed of late with the recent croker games providing an upward spike in an otherwise increasingly downward trend. Too many tourists and fair weather fans getting hold of tickets....

Sorry but i just have to point to Scotland to prove that wrong i think in total 17 people have showed up to Murrayfield for Scotlands internationals and their Union has yet to find a solution to it.

But i do agree that the % of tickets these days go into hands of cooperate men who have no idea whats going on and this will only get worse when we move back into the Shed.

The IRFU who have only gotten the sniff of profit over the last few years will try forever to keep that going now and that ll mean expensive tickets and more heading to sponsors. Thank god for having a security pass into Croker no need for all this ticket hassle

cgarvey

The theory is nice. Us non-club-committed fans could all just walk away, and make a point. However:

a) It's not going to happen, as there are plenty of bums to fill the seats we leave vacant
b) The onus is still on the clubs (the members of the union) to put right the discontent of their members (is there any? they certainly haven't made ANY noise) and the discontent of the supporters of the sport in general.

Dave, I hear you on the whole anger thing. However, I bet a good day out in Croker and a few pints and pals would outweigh the anger at seeing the "same ole'" (from players as well as Eddie). It would for me anyway, although I certainly won't be pulling any favours for home tickets this year.

daveirl

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zAbbo

There's no way I'm paying that either, having already had the chance as part of the Supporters Club, I feel disillusioned with the national team after the recent shambles.

toomevara

Stev_o wrote: »

Sorry but i just have to point to Scotland to prove that wrong i think in total 17 people have showed up to Murrayfield for Scotlands internationals and their Union has yet to find a solution to it.

Agree with you re:Scotland, but think thats a whole new thread. Rugby is dying on its arse over there for a whole host of complex reasons...social, economic, the collapse of professional rugby in the borders, a former heartland....etc..I do find it interesting when we constantly advocate Argentina and the spreading of the rugby gospel when one of the home unions is in such dire straits (admittedly much self inflicted).

But theres no getting away from the fact that international rugby in Ireland is hugely over priced and the 'product' as we must now refer to it, is distinctly second rate.....

Not for me for the forseeable I'm afraid.....

Stev_o

toomevara wrote: »

Agree with you re:Scotland, but think thats a whole new thread. Rugby is dying on its arse over there for a whole host of complex reasons...social, economic, the collapse of professional rugby in the borders, a former heartland....etc..I do find it interesting when we constantly advocate Argentina and the spreading of the rugby gospel when one of the home unions is in such dire straits (admittedly much self inflicted).

But theres no getting away from the fact that international rugby in Ireland is hugely over priced and the 'product' as we must now refer to it, is distinctly second rate.....

Not for me for the forseeable I'm afraid.....

Well our main problem for increasing the quality of teams in Ireland ie the provinces is that the Magners League is a complete joke and as we see in the Heineken Cup we always seem to under preform.

Welsh teams have it better they have 3 competitive competitions available to them Magners, EDF and Heineken. The provinces need to get more testing matches against English sides and even French sides if possible though i know this is not possible with the current season.

Will we see more Irish players chance it over the sea in the Premiership or even try and make a name in France??? As it is i think the Magners League is stale and uncompetitive we need more challengeing matches for teams to develop

toomevara

Yep, major problem in Irish rugby not enough meaningful rugby for top tiers. Too many talented players either have to resign themselves to bit-part/understudy roles or head across the water...the likes of Reddan, the various Murphys, Brennan, Burke, casey etc... could never have anything like the careers they've enjoyed abroad had they stayed in d'oul sod....Problem is though while O'Sullivan holds sway you might as well be playing water polo in Kazakstan, in terms of consideration re: the national squad.

Also what about our truly world class players. look at poor old BOD, pound for pound possibly the greatest player this country's ever produced but the old trophy cabinet remains distressingly empty...a few dubious triple crowns and a few heineken cup semis...Had he taken the plane a couple of seasons ago to a big name club...say Leicester, Wasps, stade Francais or Toulouse...well who knows....

We have no meaningful domestic competition, the magner's is poor and once the HC is over, well there's only the 6N...I'd expect more ambitious and talented players to increasingly look abroad....