Moses Mabhida as rugby world cup venue divides rugby fraternity
Local rugby personalities have criticised the decision to play the 2023 Rugby World Cup matches at the Moses Mabhida Stadium.
Detractors claimed that Kings Park Stadium, Durban’s traditional rugby home, was better suited to hosting the matches. Moses Mabhida was listed as Durban’s venue for the tournament in the bid document lodged with the World Rugby Council.
Former Sharks chief executive Brian van Zyl slammed the decision to ditch Kings Park over Moses Mabhida, which did not meet the game’s requirements. Cape Town is in a similar predicament, with some diehards preferring Newlands Stadium over the Cape Town Stadium, which was also a 2010 Soccer World Cup venue.
Even though Van Zyl was confident rugby fans would pack stadiums if the bid was won, he said: “I really believe that Kings Park is a better stadium and, quite frankly, I don’t think that this was a good move by the bid committee. Moses Mabhida is a soccer stadium and the pitch is too far from the stands.”
Chris Theron, director at One Stop Sport, which provided hospitality services at Kings Park said: “This move will definitely have an impact on us. Financially, I’m going to lose because my client base is at Kings Park.”
Source: iol.co.za