England's Rugby World Cup semi-final to be played in front of thousands of empty seats

England's Rugby World Cup semi-final against South Africa is set to be played in front with thousands of seat left unsold due to the tournament's stance on ticket resale

England coach Borthwick has faith in officials being able to spot any South Africa mischief

England's Rugby World Cup semi-final against South Africa is set to be played in front of thousands of empty seats.

The tournament ensured that there would be no resale market throughout the World Cup and took several secondary ticketing platforms to court earlier this year. They wanted to keep a monopoly over the tickets and any that are returned must be sold through their website at face value.

However that approach is set to leave several thousand seats empty at the Stade de France for the last four clash on Saturday. On Friday night over two thousand tickets were still on general sale with prices going up to £300. Hundreds of premium seats worth up to £500 were also left unsold.

Several other competitions in other sports have partnered with sites like Viagogo and StubHub, making returned tickets available to fans at discounted prices whilst also allowing supporters who cannot attend games to recoup some of their costs.

Viagogo's managing director Cris Miller told the Daily Mail : "Attempts to control markets harm fans by limiting their choice, flexibility and access. It also risks empty seats when so many people would love to experience these huge events.

"Rugby fans who have purchased tickets to knockout games their teams will no longer feature in want the flexibility to recoup some, if not all, of their money via a safe platform, whilst giving other supporters a chance to watch their team. Fans want a transparent, competitive and regulated secondary market and that is why it is essential we provide a safe and open marketplace to help them gain access to events."

The clash on Saturday night will be a repeat of the World Cup final four years ago. England vs South Africa was also the final back in 2007, which was the last time France hosted the tournament. England are seen as huge underdogs but the squad remain defiant.

Maro Itoje told the BBC : "These occasions don't come by very often. We can't afford to be distracted about what happens next week, in two weeks' time or four years ago. It is all about what happens on Saturday night."

"It is an incredible opportunity, an incredible privilege and honour to be here. These moments are special in your career. You can definitely tell this is a big week, from the mood in camp, from the concentration of the boys, you can definitely tell there is a different energy about the place."