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History is made in Soweto“It was the best of times, it was the worst of times”, is the opening line of A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens. This phrase is an apt description of the mood in two South African cities after the Super 14 final, but there were also reasons to cheer for the fans of the losing team.
It was the best of times in Pretoria (and, indeed, Soweto); it was the worst of times in Cape Town – after the Bulls won their third Super 14 title in four seasons. The Stormers stumbled over the final hurdle, losing by 17-25 to the men in blue.
Yet, there are at least two reasons why the Stormers supporters should be celebrating the victory together with their fellow countrymen from the north.
Firstly, the game was played in the Orlando Stadium in Soweto, in an atmosphere that had Bulls captain Victor Matfield singing the praises of the people of Soweto.
Rugby union, long regarded as a white-dominated sport, was forced to Orlando because the Bulls’ homeground, Loftus Versfeld in Pretoria, was being prepared for the Fifa Soccer World Cup.
The move was widely hailed as a huge success, with white fans joining black Sowetans in township taverns, while the sound of vuvuzelas made it difficult, according to Matfield, “to hear the lineout calls”.
“South Africa should be very proud. It was like all of South Africa coming together to enjoy themselves and the game of rugby. South Africa will never be the same again,” said Minister of Sport and Recreation Makhenkesi Stofile.
For many, it was their first time in the South Western Townships of Johannesburg.
Soccer rules Soweto. Here, children can be seen flaunting the jersey of their beloved “Bafana Bafana” or “The Boys” – the national soccer team that will face off with Mexico in the opening match of the World Cup on 11 June.
But on this night, it was a night of rugby, a sport deeply associated with white South Africa.
Hordes filled Orlando Stadium to witness the final match of the Super 14, the largest professional rugby championship in the southern hemisphere.
Along with the semifinal the weekend prior, this marked the first top-flight rugby match to have ever taken place in Soweto in its 54-
year history.
The significance was not lost on those in attendance – from white Afrikaner supporters, to black police officers, event staff and fans, to the Soweto residents selling team
flags outside.
“This is what rugby is,” said 28-year-old Alec Candiotes, a white Blue Bulls fan who had “Soweto” written in blue paint across his forehead in honour of his first trip to
the area.
Wide-eyed, Mr Candiotes guessed that up to 90% of fans at the match had made their maiden voyage into Soweto for the Super 14.
“Finally, everyone can come together as a nation,” he added. “It’s a new era here.”
Staff reporters
