‘FNB Stadium is next level,’ says former Bok legend ahead of All Blacks showdown
· Citizen
Former Springbok flyhalf Morne Steyn says the Bok players are in for an incredible experience when they take on the All Blacks in the third Rugby’s Greatest Rivalry Test at the FNB Stadium in Soweto on Saturday.
Close to 90,000 people are expected to pack out the huge stadium, which hosted the soccer World Cup final in 2010, and has been used for three Springbok matches before – two against the All Blacks in 2010 and 2012, and one against Argentina in 2013.
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Only two of the current Bok group have played at the stadium; Eben Etzebeth, who started against the All Blacks in 2012 and Argentina in 2013, and captain Siya Kolisi, who came off the bench against Argentina.
Steyn himself has played twice at the stadium, starting in the first Bok game there back in 2010, which was also former Bok captain John Smit’s 100th appearance, and against Argentina, and the former kicking ace admitted that the experience was just at a different level.
“I think just to play there in front of 90,000 people, it’s an atmosphere you’re never going to get anywhere else. A fully packed Ellis Park or Loftus is awesome, but to get 90,000 people behind you is just next level,” said Steyn.
“We don’t play a lot of Tests there, so to play against the All Blacks there is just an awesome opportunity.
“I haven’t been there in a long time. But the surface was good when we played there back in 2010 if I remember correctly. Most of our stadiums in South Africa have a good turf, so I think it’s just the atmosphere and the number of people that can fit in there that is very different.”
Former Springbok flyhalf Morne Steyn in action for the Boks against the All Blacks at the FNB Stadium in Soweto in 2010. Picture: David Rogers/Getty ImagesAll Black losses
The Boks have lost both of their matches against the All Blacks at the stadium, heartbreakingly going down 29-22 after two late tries in 2010, while they were comfortably defeated 32-16 in 2012.
Then in 2013 they comfortably beat Argentina 73-13, but that was in front of a smaller crowd of just over 52,000, while over 94,000 attended the game in 2010, and over 80,000 the match in 2012.
It seems around 84,000 tickets have been sold so far for Saturday’s match, and whether the game will sell out is unknown, as the remaining tickets apparently range between R1650 and R4000.
But the Boks will hope to get 87,436 into the stadium – the ticketed capacity for this weekend’s match, which will make for an unbelievable atmosphere as they aim to take a 2-1 lead in the series, ahead of the fourth and final Test in Baltimore, USA.