A tour 12 years in the making, a visit all of South Africa has been longing for. Really? Everywhere you go in this country players refer to playing the fabled British and Irish Lions as a once in a…

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A tour 12 years in the making, a visit all of South Africa has been longing for. Really?

Everywhere you go in this country players refer to playing the fabled British and Irish Lions as a once in a lifetime opportunity.

Senior Springboks have delayed their retirement just so they can tell their grandchildren that they played against the Lions.

This rugby-mad land, home to the world champions, is excited about this 10-match tour. The three-Test series is a sell-out despite ticket prices (1,140 rand – £86) being two and a half times higher than they are for Tri-Nations matches (450 rand – £35).

And yet the first fortnight here the Lions have not been made to feel particularly special by the woeful turnout at their matches and the consequent lack of atmosphere.

At the splendidly named Royal Baphokeng Sports Palace last Saturday the tourists ran out into a 42,000-seater stadium, one of 10 chosen to stage World Cup football matches a year from now.

Packed the stadium was not. They gave the crowd as 12,352. We’ll have to take their word for that because it certainly didn’t look that many.

Ah yes but the local Blue Bulls were contesting (and winning) the Super-14 Final that same afternoon down the road in Pretoria and the whole province was either there or glued to their TV sets.

Two questions: Why schedule the fixture on the same afternoon when you’ve waited 12 years for the Lions to tour? How does that explain another pitiful crowd in the second game?

Fast forward to Wednesday at Ellis Park, the 60,000-seat cathedral of South African rugby and venue for the 1995 World Cup Final when then President Nelson Mandela presented Francois Pienaar the Webb Ellis trophy wearing the Springbok captain’s No.6 jersey.

Iconic images of the Rainbow Nation yet Wednesday night could not have been lower key. The Golden Lions, formerly Transvaal, boast the best record against the touring Lions of all South African provinces. Still, just 22,218 turned up.

Maybe tomorrow will be different. The Lions are in Bloemfontein, playing in Free State Stadium where the likes of Fernando Torres and Cesc Fabregas are expected to contest a Confederations Cup semi-final later this month.

Yet only 15,000 tickets have reportedly been sold. That in a venue upgraded to a 48,000 capacity. The home-town Cheetahs did finish bottom of the Super 14 standings but all the same… the Lions are in town.

So what is the problem? Well, the global economic downturn has inevitably changed the landscape. South Africa were told 50,000 Lions supporters were on their way and so hiked up prices accordingly.

An average ticket price of 230 rand, around £18, is just too steep for the domestic market. Particularly when compared to rival sporting attractions.

To watch the Orlando Pirates, the Johannesburg-based football team who make their home at Ellis Park, costs 20 rand. To watch the Indian Premier League cricket competition which recently finished here also cost 20 rand.

It will change. The Lions go down to sea level next week and decent crowds are promised for the matches in Durban and Cape Town. But for the time being the rugby world’s greatest touring team are not the world’s greatest draw.

Which is a shame given how long South Africa has been waiting to welcome them.

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