Top tickets for England’s Test match against the All Blacks in November to cost record £229… with the price hike flying in the face of captain Jamie George seeking to make the game more accessible

The RFU will charge the highest ever price for a standalone England test when the All Blacks visit Twickenham, with top tickets costing £229.

That represents an increase of £35 on the most expensive standard ticket for England’s recent Six Nations home matches and a £50 increase on the match against New Zealand two years ago.

According to The Times, the cheapest ticket for the All Blacks match on November 2 costs £99 for an adult and £35 for a child.

All tickets for the autumn matches go on public sale on April 24, but are now available at reduced rates for English clubs.

Tickets for the games against Australia, on November 9, or South Africa, on November 16, cost between £30 in the lowest ‘category four’ for a junior, up to £159 for an adult ‘premium’ seat.

Tickets for the match against Japan on November 23 range from £15 to £99. School groups can buy tickets for that match for €10.

Tickets for the 2015 World Cup matches at Twickenham were more expensive, but the RFU has never charged as much as £229 for a regular England test.

The price increases are in the face of captain Jamie George who recently said he wanted to make the game more accessible to a wider range of fans.

He said: “The more success we have, the more interest we have in the game across the country. The more reach we can have, the better. It’s not for me to say anything about ticket prices and the rest of it. But for us as a team, reaching the right target group is important

‘We recognize that, at the top of the game, we have the opportunity to reach as many people as possible across England – and change perceptions. There are many reasons why participation figures are falling, but the most important thing for us is that we become good role models and we care about the impact we have on the wider English public.

“We are having discussions about how we can communicate more with fans. That’s never happened since I’ve been in the England team. We broke into groups and talked about the best stadiums we’ve played in and why.

‘The walk to the stadium is one of the best moments as an English rugby player, when you get off the bus and are hit by a wall of noise. I will remember that forever.’

A spokesperson for the RFU said: ‘While there have been price increases in some ticket categories to cover the rise in inflation costs and to offset the impact of huge increases in energy prices, for example all Category 3 and Category 4 prices (with with the exception of the New Zealand match) have remained the same.

‘Increasing prices is not a decision we take lightly, but it is essential that we keep pace with these cost increases, especially in light of the significant losses during the pandemic.

‘To support families to participate, children’s tickets are available for all matches with prices ranging from £15-35. All profits from ticket revenue are reinvested back into rugby at all levels of the game.”