KEY POINTS:
The All Blacks are likely to play a crucial World Cup pool game at a half-empty stadium after ticket prices for the clash against Scotland were set at a staggering $525.
While next year's tournament will be hosted by France, the All Blacks have to play their critical
Pool C match in Edinburgh. When the French were bidding to host the 2007 event, they offered Scotland the right to host two matches in return for their votes.
Scotland do not set the price, even though the test will be played at Murrayfield. Rugby World Cup Limited (RWCL) wants to charge £163 ($489) for the best seats on September 23, plus an £11 ($33) booking fee, taking the total to £175 ($525).
Most of the tickets will be priced between £85 ($255) and £143 ($429) sparking fears that Murrayfield will be virtually empty, just as it was for much of the 1999 tournament when Scottish fans complained that ticket prices were extortionate.
Crowds at Murrayfield have dwindled in recent seasons. Only 11,000 watched last month's test against Romania and just 17,000 turned up for the clash against the Pacific Islanders.
In 1999, the Scottish Rugby Union pleaded with RWCL to cut prices for Scotland's quarter-final clash against New Zealand at Murrayfield after some pool games failed to attract a five-figure crowd. Even when the prices were dropped, the stadium was still some way short of a sell-out.
A poor turn-out is unlikely to affect the performance of the All Blacks but they would almost certainly prefer to be based in France for the duration of the tournament.
If they top their group, as expected, they will also have to play a quarter-final in Cardiff.
The danger of playing outside the host nation is that the atmosphere and intensity are often lacking and the players can find it hard to feel the buzz of the tournament.
That was one of the criticisms levelled at former coach John Mitchell in 2003 when he chose to keep the team in Melbourne - a non-rugby city - in the week before their semifinal clash against Australia in Sydney.
The expected lack of atmosphere in Edinburgh will increase pressure on the International Rugby Board to outlaw the host nation from selling fixtures.
The 1999 tournament was officially hosted by Wales but pools were based in England, Scotland, Ireland and France.
Some regions embraced the tournament but others failed to build any following and the players complained the competition felt disjointed.
A secondary concern is whether the prices being charged for next year's tournament are indicative of what will have to be charged when New Zealand plays host in 2011.
A top-priced Six Nations ticket at Murrayfield is usually £60 ($180) so the mark-up for the World Cup is about 300 per cent.
If the same mark-up is applied in New Zealand in 2011, then fans could be asked to fork out as much as $300 just to watch pool games.
