Tri-Nations heads to Soweto

[beige]

Soccer City, the vast cauldron developed for the soccer World Cup Final in two weeks, is set to be used for a Tri-Nations match in August.

It will be a significant event in South Africa's history as the stadium is in Soweto, a symbolic township of the apartheid regime, while rugby is historically a 'white' sport. Indeed, in parts of the country, locals still support the All Blacks as opposed to the Boks for historical reasons.

In that regard, it's not insignificant that the match against the All Blacks on August 21 is the one likely to head to the 97,000-capacity Soccer City, relocated from Ellis Park.

The South African Rugby Union (SARU) is expected to announce the venue change next week, though it is already common knowledge as All Blacks coach Graham Henry inadvertently confirmed on Friday.

Read more: http://www.planetrugby.com/story/0,2...241529,00.html

[brokendown gunfighter]

played the super 14 final there as well?

[shasta]

rugby is historically a 'white' sport. Indeed, in parts of the country, locals still support the All Blacks as opposed to the Boks for historical reasons.

This fact has always puzzled me. This support for Kiwi teams started as a gesture of defiance to the old regimes in ZA, AFAIK. The part that made it hard to understand was that, at the time, the NZRU was one of the last unions to continue sending official touring teams and seen as lending support to the ZA government. They even bent to pressure not to select non-white players in some squads during the 1960's.

The fact that this support continues even after Nelson Mandela himself has called for all South Africans to support the Boks seems pretty strange too.

[zimeric]

its the name... purely & simply..

[beige]

played the super 14 final there as well?

Different ground.