JOHANNESBURG (Reuters) - South Africa's rand was largely steady against the dollar on Friday as risk appetite held up despite nagging debt worries in Europe, with the market still uncertain about next week's central bank decision on domestic interest rates. At 0655 GMT the rand traded at 7.3105 to the dollar after ending Thursday's session at 7.3150. "The rand remains pretty stable. I would say there is some support at 7.27/28 and you are looking at offers 7.35/36 and that should define the range for the day," a trader in Johannesburg said, adding that the market was "still split 50/50" on the rates call. Some analysts believe the Reserve Bank will leave its repo rate unchanged at 7 percent on signs the economy is well on the mend after a recession last year, but others say there is some room for a cut as the bank eyes the rand's strong gains in the last few months. On Thursday one of South Africa's deputy central bank governors expressed concern over the impact of interest rate carry trades on the rand and said the phenomenon could constitute a big challenge in the future if not properly managed. Government bonds were firmer on Friday, with the yield on the 2015 bond dipping 2.5 basis points to 8.15 percent and that for the 2036 down 2 basis points to 8.89 percent. The blue chip Top-40 March futures contract was down 0.3 percent ahead of the stock market's open at 0700 GMT.

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