Editorial: $3000 for cup final - No thanks

Like rugby? Fancy a seat at the Rugby World Cup final?
Weren't on the ball enough to buy a ticket? Well, here's your chance.
For just $3000, you can buy two seats at the Eden Park final - from a Canadian seller on online auction site eBay.
Not great seats - actually, the cheapest seats available, worth just under $400 - but still, you'll be there.
Yes, despite the Government passing new laws to prevent this very thing happening, scalpers are offering finals tickets on line for hugely inflated prices.
And those new laws - which mean tickets can only be resold for face value - don't apply, because it's not happening in New Zealand.
I have very little regard for those scalpers - they're greedy and unethical and probably have sallow complexions and very few friends.
But I also have very little sympathy for the people who buy tickets from scalpers.
Because - well, to be frank, it seems like they must be a bit dim.
I understand a Rugby World Cup final in New Zealand doesn't come around very often.
I understand being passionate about the game, and desperately wanting to be there.
And I understand that some passionate, desperate fans will miss out on tickets, and will be bitterly disappointed.
But how bad would it feel to be sitting in the stands on October 23, knowing the pair of fans sitting next to you bought exactly the same thing for a quarter the price?
And that the extra $2200 you paid went straight into the pocket of a pallid Canadian scalper?
Wouldn't you feel a bit ripped off?
And that's assuming you get your hands on the tickets at all, and don't just hand your $3000 directly to a scammer.
And there are so many better things you could do with a few thousand bucks - for a start, there's a spectacular time to be had enjoying the rest of the Rugby World Cup festivities around the country.
For the record, the last round of legitimate ticket sales starts on Monday next week.
Tickets for Napier's two matches - France v Canada and Canada v Japan - start from just $15.