Murrayfield fans offered a refund for Japan game

LIONS fans who have bought tickets for next month’s game against Japan have been offered refunds amid uncertainty over how many supporters will be allowed into Murrayfield.

Warren Gatland’s team will take on the Brave Blossoms in Edinburgh on Saturday, June 26, as a warm-up for the eight-match tour of South Africa.

It’s unclear just how many tickets have been sold for the much-anticipated contest at the 67,000 capacity stadium.

But, back in November, it was announced the initial ticket allocation for The Vodafone Lions 1888 Cup clash had sold out.

At the time, people were told to join the waiting list to be in with a chance to buy any future tickets for the game.

However, the Lions now acknowledge a capacity crowd is increasingly unlikely to be permitted because of Covid-19 public health policies.

Fans are gradually returning to rugby matches, with 1,000 watching Jersey’s game against Nottingham last weekend and up to 10,000 fans set to attend both the Challenge Cup and Champions Cup finals at Twickenham later this month.

But it remains to be seen how many supporters the Scottish Government will allow to attend the Lions’ fixture against Japan in June.

With this in mind, fans who have bought tickets have been offered refunds, on the basis that they may no longer wish to attend.

The refund would be minus the £2.75 processing fee.

It’s optional at this point, but the Lions admit they may have to cancel tickets if a significant capacity restriction is enforced.

Part of their letter to supporters read: “We appreciate these are challenging times and there is still a lot of uncertainty, but we remain optimistic that the match will take place and a crowd, of some capacity, will be permitted.

“We will continue to work closely with the Scottish Government, Scottish Rugby and public health authorities to follow the relevant guidance and ensure the health and safety of our ticketholders, teams and operational staff remains our highest priority.

“Unfortunately, it is looking increasingly likely that a full capacity crowd is not going to be permitted and a significant reduction in spectators at this match will be required.

“We will update you as soon as more details of spectator capacity are known.”

Warren Gatland will name his Lions squad on Thursday, with a party of around 36 expected.