Ahead of the Champions Cup semi-final between Leinster and Toulouse, Stephen Ferris sat down with Balls - in association with Ladbrokes - to discuss tomorrow's 'clash of the giants' at the Aviva Stadium.
Ferris echoed the gripe fans have head leading up to the game, with many complaining about the hike in ticket prices.
The cheapest ones still on offer, in what are generally the cheapest seat in the stadium, are going for €75 a pop, and will have steered many fans away from attending the match.
Naturally there will be an increase in prices for the semi-final, and demand is high, but paying double what fans would have forked out for the round of 16 clash against Ulster is extortionate, and a big sacrifice for families wishing to bring kids.
"One of the things that's sort of grabbed the headlines over the two teams is the actual ticket price for the match itself", said Ferris.
I know the ticket price for the Ulster versus Leinster game in the last 16 knockout was like 25, 30 quid a ticket.
You had every man, woman, and child from the north trying to get their hands on tickets and it was sold out and then all of a sudden you get towards a final and the semifinal, the lowest ticket price I believe is €75.
And if you're taking two kids and the wife and going out for a bite of food or lunch or whatever beforehand, like you're not going to get much change out of €500. I think that it's very steep.
Stephen Ferris Criticises Price Of Leinster Champions Cup Tickets
1 April 2023; Hugo Keenan of Leinster is tackled by Mike Lowry of Ulster during the Heineken Champions Cup Round of 16 match between Leinster and Ulster at Aviva Stadium in Dublin. Photo by Sam Barnes/Sportsfile
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"We all want to go and enjoy Champions Cup rugby", continued Ferris.
"And yeah, I think that needs to be addressed.
"We're trying to get people to watch more rugby. We're trying to get people to come along and support more rugby.
"Unfortunately these are the headlines that are coming out in a week that we should really be talking about Toulouse coming to Leinster, who are the favorites, and do they have enough to beat Leinster in their own backyard in front of a sold out Aviva stadium, and we're not talking about that at the minute.
"So, that's a little bug bear of mind."
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