OPINION: The Chiefs are on the warpath against scalpers as they look to fill Waikato Stadium in the run-up to the Super 14 finals.
Last week, ahead of the sellout Hurricanes match, they appear to have succeeded in stopping some ticket holders from flogging their seats on Trade Me, by the simple expedient of emailing them and warning them off.
Chiefs marketing manager Pat Mellsop said the tickets would be made void and told the Waikato Times the rugby union was tired of “parasitic” behaviour.
But policing this is difficult. For a start, most people are too savvy to reveal the seat number when they sell tickets. Without that, it is difficult to prove a ticket has actually been sold. Add to this the problem of someone advertising a different product and throwing in a couple of tickets supposedly as sweeteners and the issue becomes even murkier. The Warriors experienced the problem last year for their home semifinal against the Sydney Roosters and conceded they were effectively powerless to stop the practice. Nevertheless the New Zealand Rugby Union may be watching the Chiefs’ actions with interest as they prepare for the Rugby World Cup in 2011.
