The Hong Kong Rugby Football Union last night incurred the public's wrath by cutting the number of tickets on sale for the Sevens.
Only 4,000 tickets will go on sale to the general public on Saturday, down from 5,000 last year. That number has always been considered insufficient.
The union's move, on top of a 20 per cent increase in the price of a ticket - from HK$1,250 last year to HK$1,500 - sparked howls of protest and has rugby fans wondering where the tickets are going.
The union said it needed to cater to increased demand from rugby clubs, youth and mini rugby sections, members of the local rugby community and other stakeholders during the initial pre-sale period, meaning the general public has to pay the price.
'The HKRFU exists for the sake of our local rugby community which has experienced strong year-on-year growth as we continue to fund the development of more pitches in Hong Kong,' HKRFU chairman Trevor Gregory said. 'We must ensure this growth is encouraged and accommodated with tickets to our major events like the Hong Kong Sevens so we have allocated an increased number of tickets to the Hong Kong rugby community.
'As always, the best way for local fans to secure their tickets to the Sevens is to be involved in the local rugby community as either a player or a supporter of a local rugby club.'
But even that is not enough, according to rugby fans and Football Club members. One member said they were only guaranteed one ticket against two last year, while one father who has a son playing in the Colts said they were not guaranteed any tickets for the March 23-25 event at Hong Kong Stadium.