Saturday’s first test between the Springboks and Wales is not only likely to be a sell-out crowd, but it will also officially be the biggest test match attendance in South Africa for a match between the two sides.
The appetite for rugby seems to have swung firmly back in favour of attending games, with Loftus Versfeld’s ticket office reporting only 2700 tickets left by Monday afternoon for the 50 000 capacity stadium.
The match will be the Springboks first in front of a home crowd since winning the 2019 Rugby World Cup because of the pandemic, which robbed crowds of an opportunity to seeing the Boks live during the British and Irish Lions tour last season.
And the tickets have been selling fast for the game - the previous record was 43 920 for the 2004 test match at Loftus Versfeld and already that number has been surpassed.
In 2008 it was 43 393 at Loftus Versfeld and in 2000 40 547 fans packed out Newlands in Cape Town for the match between the two sides.
In 2014 Nelspruit hosted 25 424 fans for the Welsh tests and Durban 37 812 for the second test against Wales on that tour.
The massive game has already caught the attention of the Springboks, with coach Deon Davids saying they are “excited” to see the fans buy tickets in record numbers. Davids said the Boks wanted to thank the fans with a good performance on Saturday.
“We’re very excited to play in front of a home crowd for the first time since we played in the World Cup. Everyone is excited about it. We actually want to say thank you to the people who have supported us for so long.
“It will also be important for us to reward them in the way we play and feed from their energy on game day. It will be a special occasion for all of us to play in front of the home crowd after four years.”
Tickets are still available at Ticketpro and at the Loftus Versfeld ticket office, but the expectation is that later this week the sold out signs will go up and give the Boks a full-house for their opening test of the international season.