$14 pies: ‘Great rugby rip-off’ as prices soar for event

It’s been labelled ‘‘the great rugby rip-off’’ as Rugby World Cup fans get set to digest inflated food and beverage prices hiked on them by British football grounds defying tournament bosses.

The 2015 edition has heavily utilised top English football venues to accommodate the spread of the tournament at worthy grounds.

But it seems that has come at a price to punters with a Telegraph investigation revealing large increases at the food stands.

The report revealed there were 20 per cent increases on items being sold from a regulation English Premier League match to the rugby games.

Items were also listed around double supermarket prices.

The investigation showed prices at the Aston Villa football venue were significantly more for the South Africa v Samoa clash than they will be for Villa’s home game with West Bromwich Albion.

They suggested a family of four could expect to pay NZ$580 for tickets, food and beverages at the World Cup clash compared to $318 for the EPL fixture.

That would give them two programmes, four pies, two pints of beer, two soft-drinks and four chocolate bars along with their seats.

Programmes are priced at NZ$24 for the tournament, almost three times the cost of an EPL programme.

Caterers attributed the hike in beer prices by about $2.50 per pint to having to stock tournament sponsor Heineken’s product which is more expensive than many local lagers.

Among those charging more for these products were Wembley, Aston Villa, Newcastle United, Leicester City, and Brighton & Hove Albion, or their respective catering partners.

Manchester City and their suppliers did not respond to requests for the same information.

Tournament headquarters Twickenham was the only stadium to report no increases, although it has a reputation as one of Britain’s most expensive venues where a pint of beer costs NZ$12 and a pie NZ$14.50.

The prices will do little to dim- inish the British view that rugby is an elitist sport compared to the national game of football.

A spokeswoman for the tournament organiser, England Rugby 2015, told the Telegraph: ‘‘The prices for food and drink at all our 13 venues are set by the catering concessions at the venues.

‘‘We have urged them not to raise prices for the Rugby World Cup.’’