As the row over the Irish Rugby Football Union's ticket pricing for the upcoming autum internationals rumbles on, the Irish Independent canvasses the opinions of a number of figures from the lower levels of the domestic game.
"JOHN COOKE (Committee member at Connacht Junior club Monivea RFC):
"'They've lost the run of themselves because it's not just the price of the tickets, it's the burger and the pint and everything else that goes with travelling to Dublin for a match. It's just gone bananas. There's not many can afford that these days and €40 quid for a schoolboy ticket is madness, I remember not that long ago getting sent schoolboy tickets for €5.....
"'The regular guy will be left out because he will be priced out of the market. The guy on 60 grand a year can afford that lifestyle but the ordinary guy can't. I mean look at our club, there's guys desperate for work, labourers, tradesmen, who can't find anything. The pub trade is our village is nearly gone because no one can afford to go out, and it's not just Monivea. Look, it may be fine for the better-off rugby follower, and maybe that's who it's aimed at, but there won't be many from Monivea heading across in November.'"
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