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Reuters
16 minutes ago
- Reuters
Affordability the key as 2027 World Cup ticketing plan unveiled
SYDNEY, July 30 (Reuters) - More than 2.5 million tickets, some for pool matches priced as low as A$40 ($26.04), will be available for the 2027 Rugby World Cup in Australia, which organisers say is the most for any edition of the global showpiece. World Rugby are determined that the expanded 24-team tournament be accessible to as many people as possible and more than a million tickets for every stage will be priced at under A$100. At the other end of the scale, those who want to guarantee their access to tickets can purchase one of 2,027 "Superfan passes", which for A$750 will entitle them to buy tickets for any of the 52 matches, including the final. Those passes will go on sale next week, while other fans will soon be able to sign up for a closed pre-sale of tickets to take place early next year. "We can proudly say that this 11th edition will be the most accessible ... Rugby World Cup ever with a range of pricing options," Brett Robinson, the chairman of World Rugby, told a news conference. "This special event is for everyone, from families across Australia, families within our seven host cities, for fans travelling from Paris, Buenos Aires and Tokyo, because rugby's biggest stage should be open for all." Fans were required to fork out A$149 to A$649 for tickets to this week's third test between Australia and the British & Irish Lions at Sydney's Stadium Australia. Australia co-hosted the inaugural World Cup with New Zealand in 1987 and the 2003 tournament alone. But rugby has struggled for fans and attention in the country over the last decade or so as the Wallabies have struggled on the pitch. "Our mission is bold," Robinson added. "We want to reignite Australia's love of our game. We want to bring people together from around the world. "We want to shine a light on our sport's enduring values, those of respect, passion, integrity, solidarity, because rugby, at its best, is a powerful force. It changes lives." ($1 = 1.5363 Australian dollars)
The Independent
43 minutes ago
- The Independent
Oleksandr Usyk's ex-promoter delivers a damning verdict on potential Jake Paul fight
Oleksandr Usyk 's business partner and former promoter, Alex Krassyuk, has condemned a potential fight between the Ukrainian great and Jake Paul. Krassyuk said that in this new world of crossover boxing, a fight with Paul is something that gets seriously discussed, but he appealed for it not to be in a boxing ring. Krassyuk told World Boxing News : 'This fight is widely discussed now, but it can't be a boxing match as it is a homicide." Paul has become an unlikely name in boxing, transitioning from a young YouTube star to a professional boxer, ranked in the top 15 of the WBA cruiserweight rankings. He is coming off the two highest-profile wins of his career against a 58-year-old Mike Tyson and the former WBC middleweight champion Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. Despite his progress, Krassyuk said that even if the fight were under MMA rules, Paul would stand an equally small chance of survival, but sees the financial gain from the fight as attractive enough for the undisputed heavyweight champion to consider. He said: 'Even a cage fight does not leave chances for the young YouTuber. But money talks. And this event can generate some serious numbers.' Usyk's future has been uncertain since he made history and became a three-time undisputed champion , knocking out Daniel Dubois at Wembley on July 19 . The WBO have ordered negotiations between him and the interim champion, Joseph Parker, but Usyk has nothing left to prove, and Krassyuk said he will encourage his friend to retire. Krassyuk concluded: 'I don't see him fighting anymore, at least in boxing. He has proved it all, there's nothing more to gain. 'For sure, there're going to be some dossers around pushing him to the ring again. 'As a friend, I will do my best to convince him to retire.' Watch Itauma vs Whyte live on DAZN You can watch Moses Itauma vs Dillian Whyte live on DAZN on August 16. More information is available here.
Telegraph
44 minutes ago
- Telegraph
Crime has got so bad in Britain that foreign governments are warning their citizens about visiting
Before Samuel* travelled from Australia to the UK last October, his friends and family warned him about London's reputation for crime. 'I had planned to travel all around Europe,' says the 27-year-old architecture student from Sydney, 'but my parents said, 'once you get to London, you need to be really careful''. Conversations about the soaring robbery and theft rates in London are commonplace for Australian travellers visiting the UK, says Samuel. 'Everyone knows of somebody [in Australia] that's had their phone stolen in London,' he says. 'It's definitely common to hear the warnings in Australia, everyone knows that.' Despite the warnings, Samuel became one of around 80,000 people whose phones were stolen in London last year. Walking up a flight of stairs at Euston station with his mobile in his back pocket, he noticed he had been pick-pocketed when he reached the top. The experience had such an impact on him that he still finds himself checking his pockets in Australia, even though phone theft is 'non-existent' out there. Warnings about London's crime are not just hearsay out in Australia; they are now being issued by the Australian government. The government website Smart Traveller has raised the UK travel advice from a Level 1 to a Level 2 warning, urging Australians to 'exercise a high degree of caution' when visiting Britain, adding that 'petty crime is common, including pickpocketing' and alerting readers to thieves who use 'scooters and bicycles to snatch belongings'. Two extra bullet points recommend travellers 'keep money and valuables such as mobile phones out of sight' and 'avoid putting valuables in [their] pockets'. In Australia, there are only four risk levels when it comes to travel warnings: Level 1 indicates that a country is 'similar' to Australia safety-wise, while Level Four is 'do not travel' because 'your health and safety are at extreme risk'. Level 2, issued to the UK, 'may reflect a weak law-and-order system, where violent crime is common,' explains the website, adding that the country 'may lack some key public services, such as a responsive police force.' Two fifths of mobile phone thefts in Europe now happen in the UK, according to the insurance company SquareTrade Europe. Its data reveals that phone theft claims in the UK have increased by 425 per cent since June 2021. One mobile phone is stolen every six minutes across the capital, according to the Metropolitan Police. Meanwhile, violent crime has gone up by 30 per cent during Sir Sadiq Khan's nine-year tenure as Mayor of London. In March, the Conservatives accused him of overseeing a 'woefully inadequate' response to the problem of phone theft after dedicating only two sentences to the increase in his policing strategy for the capital. In early July this year, the Home Office wrote on X that there had been a 44 per cent rise in street crime across the UK, record levels of shop theft and a million incidents of anti-social behaviour. There's been a 44% rise in street crime, record levels of shop theft and a million incidents of anti-social behaviour. We refuse to accept this for our towns. This summer, police forces are increasing targeted patrols to protect businesses from harm and increase public safety. — Home Office (@ukhomeoffice) July 4, 2025 Australia is not the only country warning its citizens to take precautions when visiting the UK. Research by The Telegraph has uncovered a slew of foreign countries that have either put out fresh warnings about the rising levels of crime in the UK in recent years, or updated the 'crime' sections of their websites with additional warnings. The countries include France, Canada, New Zealand, the UAE and, most surprisingly, Mexico. In a 'travel advice' section on the Mexican embassy website, it warns that 'in London, crime has increased, especially in crowded areas, on the streets, and on public transportation.' It lists 16 bullet points with practical advice on how to avoid petty crime on the street, in the hotel, and when travelling in a vehicle. 'Avoid displaying jewellery, cameras, cell phones, or other valuables,' the website advises. The UAE embassy website also warns travellers of a 'recent increase in violence and knife crime' in London, 'including a number of attacks on citizens of Arab Gulf states'. It says: 'We advise our citizens to take special care, especially at night, and avoid wearing valuable items that attract attention in public places'. Twelve bullet points follow, with advice 'to make your visit to London safer'. They include making sure to check that the hotel door has a functional lock and a dead bolt. Like Australia, the Canadian government has increased its warnings about crime in London. In 2017, the Canadian website increased the risk level of the UK from the first level ('exercise normal safety precautions') to the second level ('you should exercise a high degree of caution '). Canada only has four risk levels, the fourth being 'avoid all travel'. Though the update seems to have been made following the Westminster terror attack in 2017, the volume of advice about 'crime' in London has grown startlingly on the website over a decade. Web archives show that in 2012, the Canadian government published one line warning of 'petty crime' including 'pickpocketing, purse snatching and mugging'. By 2017, the section on crime had grown to three paragraphs, and included a new warning of 'violent crime such as mugging and sexual assault'. In 2019, the government was listing areas in which to be most vigilant, including 'pubs and bars', and had published a line that 'cellphone theft is rampant in tourist areas'. Now, in 2025, there are three lengthy sections on 'petty crime', 'violent crime' and 'spiked food and drinks' with detailed bullet points advising Canadians to 'avoid showing signs of affluence'. And it's not just foreign governments issuing warnings: back in the UK, London hotels are now also warning travellers of the high rates of petty crime. 'We always mention to be wary of phone snatching; there's a lot of phone snatching in Piccadilly Circus', says a concierge, who did not want to be named, at a luxury five-star hotel in central London. 'Also, when they are wearing jewellery, we mention that they should be careful.' Unsuspecting guests falling victim to phone snatching has 'happened a few times,' they say, 'but there's not much we can do. It happened once with an external member of the public, it was over a year ago: it can be guests, or people from outside. It's most likely phones.' It's lunchtime in central Victoria. 'Hop-on hop-off' buses are embarking on their tours of London, filled with huge groups of tourists. One bus steward is shepherding a queue of eager foreign visitors into a brightly coloured, open-top coach. He says that in the last year, he has been witness to six or seven 'live' phone snatches alone. 'Most of the time they come on electric bicycles, they snatch from the footpaths and they go away: they're really fast,' he says. Now he worries that it could detrimentally affect the tourist industry he is part of. 'It could impact tourists because tourists are afraid of where the crime is… it could impact the business', he admits. 'People are still afraid. Previously I heard that London was the safest place, but crimes are going up now'. Is he concerned for the future of his job? 'Yes, there is a concern,' he admits, before suggesting that 'we should tighten immigration laws' and that 'people should be punished when they commit the crime.' Online, social media is awash with warnings for those visiting the UK. 'So I moved to London this week, and I am so anxious walking on the streets,' says Australian social media user Alicia English while filming herself in a TikTok post. 'Apparently everyone's phones get stolen off them, people drive past on bikes and just snatch them out of your hands… that is making me anxious because I really can't afford a new phone right now.' Her video has nearly 200 comments. 'I saw someone have a phone snatched out [of] their hands on Oxford Street last week,' says one respondent. In May 2024, Calina Chehade, a 24-year-old video editor, saw a string of warnings about crime in London on TikTok before her trip to the city. Chehade, who lives in Lebanon, was travelling to the UK for an Olivia Rodrigo concert. 'Phone snatching is especially talked about and famous in London,' she tells The Telegraph. 'My mum sent me a TikTok of someone with a black eye because someone stole their phone. It definitely got on my nerves.' Before she travelled to London, family members who had visited before gave her tips to prevent her phone being stolen. 'I remember my cousin telling me 'wear a big coat and put your wallet inside your coat, and close it well and hold on to your belongings,' she says, before reciting, as if by heart: 'Always walk with confidence. Don't let them know you're a tourist.' Though Chehade did not have her phone snatched, she views herself as one of the lucky ones. 'It was fine, luckily,' she reflects of her visit. 'But there is luck involved, it's not just me being prepared. Thank God, nothing happened.' Then she confides, almost in amazement, and perhaps with a slight tinge of disappointment: 'I didn't even witness a phone snatch while there.'
