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 price ever for an independent England test when the All Blacks visit Twickenham, with the best tickets costing £229.

That represents a £35 increase 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 to the All Blacks match on November 2 will cost £99 for an adult and £35 for a child.

All tickets for the autumn matches will go on public sale on April 24, but are now available to clubs in England at discounted prices.

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

Tickets for the match against Japan on 23 November cost between £15 and £99. School groups will be able to purchase £10 tickets for that match.

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

The price increases fly 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 will have in the game across the country.” Other than that, the more reach we can have, the better. It’s not my place to say about the price of tickets and the rest. But reaching the right target audience is important to us as a team.

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

‘We are having discussions about how we can engage more with the fans. That has never happened since I have been in the England team. We split into groups and talked about the best stadiums we’ve played in and why.

“Entering the stadium is one of the best moments as an England rugby player – getting off the bus and being hit by a wall of noise. I’ll remember it forever.’

An RFU spokesperson said: “While there have been price increases on some ticket categories to cover inflationary cost increases and to offset the impact of huge increases in energy prices, for example, all ticket prices Categories 3 and 4 (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.

‘In order to help families attend, children’s tickets are available at all matches with prices ranging from £15 to £35. All profits made from tickets are invested back into rugby at all levels of the game. ‘