Bulls may return to Soweto with FNB Stadium lined up as venue for URC final
Presidential inauguration clashes with date of the URC last match
The Bulls will head back to Soweto should they get to host the United Rugby Championship (URC) final on June 22.
This time, though, they will run out at FNB Stadium should they progress to the final and URC league toppers Munster drop out before the tournament’s climax.
The Pretoria side will not have their fortress Loftus Versfeld available on that day, as it will be in use for the presidential inauguration. The previous inauguration was also held at Loftus in May 2019.
The Bulls hosting the final is a long shot, as Munster — the defending champions, are still very much in contention. The Bulls have a home quarterfinal against Benetton and they will get to play at home again if they progress to the semifinals.
Should the Bulls qualify for the final and the defending champions lose in the quarterfinals or the semifinals, the Bulls will have to call on plan B, though they aren’t strangers to being asked to temporarily vacate their premises.
In 2010 Loftus was declared off limits due to its venue status during the Fifa World Cup.
That year the Bulls played the Super Rugby final against the Stormers at Orlando Stadium in a clash of historic significance that will live long in the memory of those who attended.
A nostalgic return to that stadium, however, was ruled out due to its limited 37,300 capacity.
With FNB Stadium able to host more than 90,000 spectators the Bulls’ management may feel they have a good opportunity to break URC attendance records. Loftus Versfeld has a capacity of just under 52,000 and there will be genuine belief with the Bulls and their owners that more than 60,000 fans will purchase tickets for the final.
The first rugby match to be hosted at FNB stadium was the 2010 Tri-Nations clash between the Springboks and All Blacks. The stadium again hosted the Boks and their old foes in 2012, while Argentina’s Los Pumas were thoroughly vanquished there in 2013.
Having to make special arrangements for a potential final is not unique to the Bulls. The Irish teams remaining in the competition — Leinster, Munster and Ulster — may also look for bigger venues should they reach the competition’s climax.
Croke Park in Dublin can host 82,000 spectators, while Celtic Park in Glasgow or even Murrayfield in Edinburgh could become options for Glasgow Warriors should they get to host the final.