Rugby in Soweto...and Tickets Sold Out in a Matter of Hours

Neal CollinsMay 19, 2010

Strange days as the nation slips in to pre-World Cup mode. Rugby's Super 14 semi-final between Pretoria's Blue Bulls and New Zealand's Crusaders has to be played at Soweto's Super Stadium on Saturday at 5.05 PM local time.

The Bulls, who hold the Super 14 title fought for by franchises from Australia, New Zealand, and South Africa, usually play their home games at Loftus Versveld. But because FIFA doesn't want rugby played on their Pretoria World Cup venue, South Africa's most famous rugby side is forced to travel to Soweto, where rugby has never been played at this level.

The players trained in Soweto yesterday (see above) and are being remarkably sanguine about their change of venues, with the final due to be hosted at the Super Stadium too against the winners of the Stormers v Waratahs semi in Cape Town if they beat the Kiwi Crusaders.

It's hard to put this in an international context, but it is safe to say Bulls fans, largely Afrikaans and white, are not frequent visitors to Soweto. It's a bit like Rangers being forced to play a Scottish Cup semi-final in Dublin!

That said, all 40,000 tickets for the Super Stadium have been sold in advance as Pretorians struggle to find their way to one of South Africa's most notorious townships.

And just down the road at Soccer City, the 94,000-capacity venue for the World Cup final, Durban's Amazulu face the local Johannesburg club Wits University at 3 PM. Strangely, they are allowed to play the Nedbank Cup final, South African football's biggest knock-out cup, there despite the World Cup looming.

Ticket sales for the big soccer showdown? Currently "around 35,000". Tickets for the first rugby game in Soweto "sold out in hours".

Kjietil Sien, chief executive of the Professional Soccer League here, insists: "There won't be too many empty seats."

There'd better not be. It may be a little embarrassing witnessing Soweto sold out for rugby while Soccer City will be barely a third full for football. But hey, that's South Africa.