The revised schedule for the PRO14 Rainbow Cup
SA will see three consecutive “Super Saturdays” of top-class local rugby
action, starting next weekend on 1 May with encounters in Cape Town and
Pretoria.
SA Rugby
and PRO14 Rugby announced the amended fixtures and kick-off times for the PRO14
Rainbow Cup SA on Friday. All the action
will be broadcast live in South Africa on SuperSport, as well as in the UK and
Ireland by eir Sport (ROI) and Premier Sports (UK).
The opening match is a coastal clash between the
DHL Stormers and Cell C Sharks at Cape Town Stadium (14:00), followed by the
Jukskei Derby between the Vodacom Bulls and the Emirates Lions at Loftus
Versfeld (19:00).
“It’s a pity we could not have the competition
as we first envisaged it, but to see these four teams slug it out over seven
weeks is sure to bring out the best in South African rugby,” said Jurie Roux,
CEO of SA Rugby.
“We are very grateful to SuperSport for being
so accommodating in the late changes, and to our friends in Europe for allowing
our teams to continue in the competition they’ve been preparing for.”
Rassie Erasmus, Director of Rugby, said it
would have been good to see the South African teams take on the might of
European club rugby as the Castle Lager Lions Series moves closer.
“We’ll have to wait a bit longer to face the
best club sides of Ireland, Italy, Scotland and Wales, but in the meantime
we’ve got a tough competition that will hopefully prepare our players for what
promises to be a massive series against the British & Irish Lions,” said
Erasmus.
“The rugby we saw when the season restarted
last year was hot and cold, but it got better and in the 2021 Kick-Off Pools
the teams were looking much better, and hopefully they can take that form and
intensity into the Rainbow Cup SA.
“It was also good to see a number of younger
players putting up their hands, while our established and experienced players
underlined their class. The PRO14 Rainbow Cup SA provides another opportunity
for players to stake claims for higher honours and I’m excited to see what our
teams can conjure up in the next few weeks.”
The normal Guinness PRO14 points’ system will
be used – four points for a win, bonus points for scoring four tries or more,
or for losing within a margin of seven points or fewer, and two points to each
team for a drawn match.
Rounds four to six will see a reverse of the
first rounds of fixtures between 22 May and 12 June, with a bye for all four
teams, details of the kick-off times which will be confirmed in due course.
PRO14 RAINBOW CUP SA FIXTURES – ROUNDS 1-3
Saturday 1 May
14:00 – DHL Stormers v Cell C Sharks (Cape Town
Stadium, Cape Town)
19:00 – Vodacom Bulls v Emirates Lions (Loftus
Versfeld, Pretoria)
Saturday 8 May
16:00 – Cell C Sharks v Emirates Lions (Jonsson
Kings Park, Durban)
18:15 – DHL Stormers v Vodacom Bulls (Cape Town
Stadium, Cape Town)
Saturday 15 May
KO TBC – Emirates Lions v DHL Stormers (Emirates
Airline Park, Johannesburg)
18:15 – Vodacom Bulls v Cell C Sharks (Loftus
Versfeld, Pretoria)
ROUNDS 4-6 (home teams named first, kick-off
times TBC)
Weekend 21/22 May
Cell C Sharks v DHL Stormers
Emirates Lions v Vodacom Bulls
Weekend 4/5 June
Emirates Lions v Cell C Sharks
Vodacom Bulls v DHL Stormers
Weekend 11/12 June
DHL Stormers v Emirates Lions
Cell C Sharks v Vodacom Bulls
