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Johannesburg - Soweto's rugby club have no objection to the Bulls using their Orlando Stadium for the playoff stages of the Super 14, but they are not counting on any financial boost from the matches.
Zola Ntlokona, team manager and Soweto Rugby Club secretary, said on Tuesday that while it would be a tremendous opportunity to see top-class rugby in the township the only people to benefit would be the stadium's owners and other business-related parties.
The Bulls, Super 14 leaders and defending champions, would not be able to use their Loftus Versfeld home stadium for the semis or final in May as it is to be designated a "clean stadium" for the soccer World Cup finals.
The Bulls issued a statement at the weekend saying they had "agreed in principal" with the Orlando Stadium management to play the matches there.
"For a club like ours who are living from hand-to-mouth, relying on loans and handouts, all we can say is 'whatever,'" Ntlokona said.
"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."
Soweto Rugby Club's relationship with its own mother body, the Golden Lions Rugby Union, is an uneasy one. The Bulls are the Lions' northern neighbours and Ntlokona said it was ironic that they would be the first team to play a major match in Johannesburg's iconic black township.
"It is really ironic because we have not been getting enough support from our own union," he added.
"It's appalling, we get into the boardroom and we have to fight to get something, it's a real scramble to get any support. It's been difficult to find even one sponsor."
Ntlokona acknowledged, however, that the Bulls playing at Orlando Stadium would provide the people of Soweto with a tremendous opportunity to see top-class rugby on their doorstep.
"Why not go and watch though? It's just behind our backyard and why not watch the best, it would be like watching the Springboks," Ntlokona said.
"It's a big event in my township and I must go and support it."
