Springboks set to triumph and bury Soweto jinx
The Springboks have twice played at the 95,000-seat Soweto venue that hosted the 2010 Fifa World Cup final, and fell 29-22 and 32-16 to the New Zealand All Blacks.
South Africa are fancied to bury a Soccer City stadium jinx today by defeating Argentina in their Rugby Championship opener.
Originally set for central city Bloemfontein, the Argentina test was moved to form part of a Nelson Mandela Sports Day with the national soccer team playing Burkina Faso earlier.
Honouring the elder statesman, who is critically ill in a Pretoria hospital, includes transforming the Soweto stadium from a football pitch to a rugby pitch during a 90-minute break between the internationals.
While debutants Los Pumas proved competitive in the southern hemisphere tournament last year, they remain the weaklings of a quartet completed by Australia.
They have also been hit by late injury blows with inspirational No8 and skipper Juan Martin Fernandez Lobbe and loosehead prop Marcos Ayerza forced to withdraw.
Leonardo Senatore is the loose-forward replacement, veteran centre Felipe Contepomi is the stand-in skipper, and young Matias Diaz enters the front row.
