It is six years since the Blue Bulls Company (BBC) agreed to let Loftus Versfeld be used for the Soccer World Cup. No one involved in the deal could have guessed that their approval would force the Bulls to play a semifinal and, in all probability a final, in Soweto.
Back then the Bulls under Rudy Joubert were just beginning to awaken. In 2002 they went through a whole Super 12 season without winning a game.
In 2003 they won six games and in 2004 five, without ever threatening to reach the knockout stages. Few then would have believed that they would be champions in two of the next five seasons and that in season six their status would cause a venue problem.
There was much trepidation among both management and supporters when the idea of playing away from Loftus was first mooted. SuperSport Park cricket ground was too small at 18 000 capacity and Atteridgeville at 30 000 was also rejected, so the final choice of venue was the 40 000-capacity Orlando Stadium in Soweto.
BBC chief executive Barend van Graan admitted that the Bulls would lose money on the deal, as Loftus holds 50 000, but the upside was the R140-million upgrade that government money had allowed at their regular home to accommodate the wishes of Fifa.
“There was resistance from supporters at first,” said Van Graan, “who wanted to know if it was safe, but a few weeks ago the whole mood changed. Since then we’ve had a lot of positive feedback from supporters, the business world and government, and we are very excited.”
The BBC has announced that season ticket-holders will have first option to buy tickets and that suite owners will be allocated free tickets according to the size of their suites and will have the option of buying hospitality packages. The union has also arranged a park-and-ride system from SuperSport Park in Centurion and Nasrec.
One Bulls supporter reacted to the news on the Bulls website by saying: “I cannot wait — I am so excited about this. The BULLS are doing more for the country than any other team, politician or event! We’re gonna braai at Nasrec and then move into Orlando.”
By contrast, the Soweto Rugby Club stands to gain nothing from the game(s) and Zola Ntlokona, team manager and club secretary, said: “For a club like ours who are living from hand to mouth, relying on loans and handouts, all we can say is ‘whatever’. The matches will be good for those who will benefit from them, like the business people who own the stadium, but we are too far removed from that. There is no significance and no gain for our club.”
Van Graan confirmed that the deal was purely a commercial rental of the stadium.In any case, the Soweto Rugby Club falls under the jurisdiction of the Golden Lions Rugby Union rather than the Bulls.
SuperSport, the South African rights holders for the Super 14, will broadcast the semifinal and potentially the final. Shaun Everett, who will direct the semi for the pay channel, said: “It’s another first for SuperSport that we are very excited about. We’ve done plenty of soccer at Orlando and it is a top-quality venue.”
Van Graan confirmed the Bulls will train at Orlando next week to prepare themselves for the big game. The major benefit for the union is that the bulk of those training will have had a week off from the hurly-burly of log play following the decision to rest a host of first-team regulars for this week’s match against the Stormers in Cape Town.
The controversial last-minute try by Francois Hougaard against the Crusaders last week turned out to be the most valuable moment of the season. It is hard to believe that any of the six teams scrapping for the right to join the Bulls in the last four will have enough left in the tank to stop the defending champions making it three titles in four years.
The nature of successful teams is that they make their own luck. A string of questionable decisions by referee Marius Jonker upset the Crusaders, but the fact is that the Bulls were good enough to take advantage, even with only 14 players on the field.
The Bulls decision to send the reserves to Newlands has further angered Kiwi teams who suspect collusion to guarantee the Stormers a home semifinal. South African rugby fans will know, however, that the mere idea of the Bulls and Stormers cooperating over anything is somewhat far-fetched.
In fact, the ire from New Zealand should be directed inwards, for there is a good chance none of their teams will reach the last four. The Waratahs should be too strong for the Hurricanes in Sydney and the Crusaders have to overcome jetlag and sore bodies against the Brumbies in Christ-church. When the Stormers emerge from the Newlands tunnel they will know exactly what is needed to ensure a home semi and that should be enough to guarantee it.