Archbishop Desmond Tutu says the decision by the Bulls to play their Super 14 rugby semifinal in Soweto is the "most important development in the sport since the Springboks won the World Cup in 1995."
Tutu, the anti-apartheid campaigner and Nobel Peace Prize winner, said on Thursday all South Africans should applaud the move by the Pretoria-based Bulls to play Saturday's match in the famous township, which was home to more than 1 million people, mainly poor blacks.
"It is one of those special South African moments that proves we are better off for having one another, and that despite the challenges we face, our society is on the right track," Tutu said.
It's a landmark move by the Bulls, whose supporters are generally whites, to play in Soweto - the township synonymous with black resistance to apartheid. It's the first major rugby match to be held in a township.
"Not too long ago," Tutu said, "Pretorians may have choked on their mustaches at the thought of kicking for posts at Orlando Stadium, Soweto. And the arrival of these giant Bulls from the north would have sent Sowetans ducking for cover.
"But this weekend Soweto will host the biggest rugby match ever held in a South African township." The Bulls chose to play in Soweto after handing over their Loftus Versfeld stadium to football World Cup organizers last week.
South Africa's victory in the '95 Rugby World Cup was the first time the country's Springboks rugby team played with the support of black people as well as whites. The Springboks were previously associated with racist apartheid rule and shunned by the black majority.
New president Nelson Mandela urged black people to get behind the team and wore a green and gold Springboks shirt at the tournament final in Johannesburg. It's considered one of the country's most important acts of racial reconciliation.
Tutu said that even though he was a fan of Cape Town's Stormers, who play in the other semifinal, he would be a Bulls supporter on Saturday.
"Next weekend, when the Stormers will visit Soweto for the Super 14 final, is another story," Tutu said.
Bulls captain Victor Matfield said this week, "This game is great for our country, and it is great that rugby comes to Soweto."
