Pro14 Rainbow Cup

The Pro14 Rainbow Cup (also known as the Guinness Pro14 Rainbow Cup for sponsorship reasons) was a professional rugby union end-of-season cup competition played in 2021 that consisted of two separate tournaments: the Rainbow Cup for twelve European clubs and the Rainbow Cup SA for four South African clubs. The winners of each competition then played a final match to determine the overall winner. The tournament operated as a shortened 'Spring season' to allow for the integration of the four new South African teams into the United Rugby Championship ahead of the 2021–22 season.

Pro14 Rainbow Cup
Countries Ireland
Italy
Scotland
Wales
South Africa
Date23 April 2021 – 19 June 2021
Champions Benetton
Runners-up Bulls
Matches played40
Official website
www.pro14.rugby

In winning the play-off final against the Bulls of South Africa, Benetton Treviso became the first Italian side ever to win any of the successor championships to the Celtic League.

Background

The 2020–21 Pro14 was reduced to twelve teams as the two South African teams - the Cheetahs and Southern Kings - were not allowed to travel internationally in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. In September 2020, the Southern Kings ceased operations and the South African Rugby Union council began exploring the possibility of the four South African former Super Rugby teams - the Bulls, Lions, Sharks and Stormers - joining an expanded Pro14.[1]

PRO14 Rugby announced in December 2020 that the 2020–21 Pro14 regular season would conclude after 16 rounds, and the top team from each conference would advance to a final in March 2021. The Pro14 Rainbow Cup then commenced in April and introduced the four new South African teams.[2]

With South Africa hosting the British & Irish Lions tour in July–August 2021, the tournament also served as a warm-up event for the British, Irish and South African players hoping to be involved in the tour.[2]

Between February and March eight South African franchises played in a "preparation series" also known as the Preparation Series to get valuable game time before the Rainbow Cup.[3]

Due to several issues surrounding travel restrictions as a result of the pandemic, it was announced in April 2021 that the Rainbow Cup would adopt a dual tournament format and there would be no cross-hemisphere fixtures.[4]

Format

The competition format changed several times but eventually consisted of two separate tournaments running side by side. In the northern hemisphere's Rainbow Cup, the 12 Pro14 teams in Europe competed from 23 April until 12 June 2021. There were 6 match weekends over an 8-week period with each team receiving one additional bye week.

In the southern hemisphere's Rainbow Cup SA, each of the four teams played each other twice, a total of six rounds were played between 1 May and 12 June 2021. There was one fallow week in which each team received a bye week.[4][5]

A final between the best placed Northern and Southern Hemisphere teams followed both tournaments on 19 June.[6]

Law variations

The Rainbow Cup saw three law variations trialled: Replacement for a red carded player after 20 minutes, Captain's Challenge and Goal-line dropouts. The replacement for a red carded player after 20 minutes allowed a side who has had a player sent-off to replace them with one of their named substitutes after a period of 20 minutes. A captain's challenge, similar to appeals used successfully in cricket and tennis, allowed each team to request a television match official review an offence in the build up to a try being scored or an act of foul play, or any referee's decision after the clock passes 75 minutes; where the referee's on-field decision was not changed, that team would no longer be able to challenge a decision thereafter. Goal-line dropouts were used if the ball is held-up over the line, knock-ons that occur in goal or when the ball is grounded by the defending team in the in-goal area after a kick through. All these law variations have previously been trialled in both Super Rugby Aotearoa and Super Rugby AU.[7]

The captain's challenge law attracted widespread criticism, particularly after an incident in Munster's game against Cardiff where Munster's CJ Stander called for a captain's challenge on a Cardiff player returning the ball into a ruck, a minor technical offence. It was not adopted in subsequent tournaments.[8][9][10]

World Rugby adopted the goal-line drop-out law more widely in the 2021–22 season and it has since become permanent.[11]

Teams
Location of Pro14 Rainbow Cup teams in the British Isles.
Location of Pro14 Rainbow Cup teams in Italy
Location of PRO14 Rainbow Cup SA teams

PRO14 Rainbow Cup
Team Country Coach /
Director of Rugby		 Captain Stadium Capacity
Benetton Italy Kieran Crowley Dewaldt Duvenage Stadio Comunale di Monigo 6,700
Cardiff Blues Wales Dai Young Ellis Jenkins Cardiff Arms Park 12,125
Connacht Ireland Andy Friend Jarrad Butler Galway Sportsgrounds 8,129
Dragons Wales Dean Ryan Rhodri Williams Rodney Parade 8,700
Edinburgh Scotland Richard Cockerill Stuart McInally Murrayfield Stadium 67,144
Glasgow Warriors Scotland Danny Wilson Fraser Brown
Ryan Wilson		 Scotstoun Stadium 7,351
Leinster Ireland Leo Cullen Johnny Sexton RDS Arena 18,500
Munster Ireland Johann van Graan Peter O'Mahony Thomond Park 25,600
Ospreys Wales Toby Booth Justin Tipuric Liberty Stadium 20,827
Scarlets Wales Glenn Delaney Ken Owens Parc y Scarlets 14,870
Ulster Ireland Dan McFarland Iain Henderson Ravenhill Stadium 18,196
Zebre Italy Michael Bradley Tommaso Castello Stadio Sergio Lanfranchi 5,000

PRO14 Rainbow Cup SA
Team Country Coach /
Director of Rugby		 Captain Stadium Capacity
Bulls South Africa Jake White Duane Vermeulen Loftus Versfeld 51,762
Lions South Africa Ivan van Rooyen Dan Kriel Ellis Park Stadium 62,567
Sharks South Africa Sean Everitt Lukhanyo Am Kings Park Stadium 52,000
Stormers South Africa John Dobson Steven Kitshoff Cape Town Stadium 55,000

Tables
Pro14 Rainbow Cup
Team P W D L PF PA PD TF TA Try bonus Losing bonus Pts
1 Benetton541012578+4714102022**
2 Munster540117075+952383120
3 Glasgow Warriors5401121117+417153019
4 Leinster530212487+3719102115
5 Cardiff Blues5302124123+116162115
6 Connacht5302109133–2415182014
7 Scarlets5122110115–513152113*
8 Ospreys521210388+1514112111**
9 Edinburgh5113126140–1418192210
10 Ulster511385116–311218228*
11 Dragons5104117156–391422217
12 Zebre500588174-861023033
* Cancelled fixture: Scarlets awarded four match points.
** Cancelled fixture: Benetton awarded four match points.
If teams are level at any stage, tiebreakers are applied in the following order:[12]
  1. number of matches won;
  2. the difference between points for and points against;
  3. the number of tries scored;
  4. the most points scored;
  5. the difference between tries for and tries against;
  6. the fewest red cards received;
  7. the fewest yellow cards received.
Green background (row 1) is the play-off places and earn a place in the final against the 1st placed Rainbow Cup SA team.
    Pro14 Rainbow Cup SA
    Team P W D L PF PA PD TF TA Try bonus Losing bonus Pts
    1 Bulls6501183117+6622124125
    2 Stormers6213137143–616192317*
    3 Sharks6303153179–2630223116
    4 Lions6114127161–341622318*
    * Cancelled fixture: Stormers awarded four match points.
    If teams are level at any stage, tiebreakers are applied in the following order:[13]
    1. number of matches won;
    2. the difference between points for and points against;
    3. the number of tries scored;
    4. the most points scored;
    5. the difference between tries for and tries against;
    6. the fewest red cards received;
    7. the fewest yellow cards received.
    Green background (row 1) is the play-off places and earn a place in the final against the 1st placed Rainbow Cup team from Europe.

      PRO14 Rainbow Cup

      All kickoff times are local.
      League stage

      Round 1
      23 April 2021
      20:15
      (2 BP) Ulster 24–26 Connacht (1 BP)
      Try: Stockdale 23'
      Herring 29' c
      Burns 44'
      Shanahan 72' c
      Con: Cooney 30'
      Lowry 73'      		Report
      Highlights      		Try: Boyle 7' c
      Blade (2) 50' c 63 c
      Sullivan 80+3'
      Con: Carty 8'
      Daly (2) 52' 64'
      Ravenhill Stadium
      Referee: Andrew Brace
      23 April 2021
      20:15
      Edinburgh 24–18 Zebre (1 BP)
      Murrayfield
      Referee: Ben Whitehouse
      24 April 2021
      14:00
      (1 BP) Benetton 46–19 Glasgow Warriors
      Stadio Comunale di Monigo
      Referee: Marius Mitrea
      24 April 2021
      17:15
      (1 BP) Ospreys 36–14 Cardiff Blues
      Liberty Stadium
      Referee: Sam Grove-White
      24 April 2021
      19:35
      Leinster 3–27 Munster
      RDS Arena
      Referee: Chris Busby
      25 April 2021
      13:00
      (1 BP) Dragons 52–32 Scarlets (1 BP)
      Rodney Parade
      Referee: Craig Evans

      Round 2
      7 May 2021
      19:00
      (1 BP) Zebre 20–25 Benetton
      Stadio Sergio Lanfranchi
      7 May 2021
      20:15
      (1 BP) Munster 38–10 Ulster
      Try: Scannell (2) 10' c 54' c
      Murray 26'
      Haley c
      Hanrahan 57' c
      Conway 78'
      Con: Hanrahan (4) 11' 40+1' 55' 59'      		Report
      Highlights
      Full game      		Try: Henderson 43'
      Con: Lowry 45'
      Pen: Lowry 2'
      Thomond Park
      7 May 2021
      20:15
      (1 BP) Glasgow Warriors 29–19 Edinburgh
      Scotstoun Stadium
      8 May 2021
      19:35
      Connacht 21–50 Leinster (1 BP)
      Galway Sportsgrounds
      8 May 2021
      19:35
      Scarlets 22–6 Ospreys
      Parc y Scarlets
      9 May 2021
      13:00
      Cardiff Blues 17–16 Dragons (1 BP)
      Cardiff Arms Park

      Round 3
      14 May 2021
      18:00
      (1 BP) Munster 20–24 Connacht
      Thomond Park
      14 May 2021
      20:15
      Leinster 21–17 Ulster (1 BP)
      Try: Healy 25' c
      Conan 53' c
      Henshaw 61' c
      Con: Ringrose (3) 25' 54' 62'      		Report
      Highlights      		Try: Baloucoune 18' c
      Gilroy 79' c
      Con: Burns 19'
      Madigan 79'
      Pen: Burns 51'
      RDS Arena
      15 May 2021
      15:00
      (1 BP) Scarlets 28–29 Cardiff Blues (1 BP)
      Parc y Scarlets
      15 May 2021
      18:15
      (1 BP) Benetton 34–27 Zebre (1 BP)
      Stadio Comunale di Monigo
      15 May 2021
      19:35
      (1 BP) Edinburgh 24–31 Glasgow Warriors (1 BP)
      Murrayfield
      16 May 2021
      13:00
      (1 BP) Dragons 26–42 Ospreys (1 BP)
      Rodney Parade

      Round 4
      28 May 2021
      19:35
      (1 BP) Munster 31–27 Cardiff Blues (1 BP)
      Thomond Park
      29 May 2021
      15:00
      Ulster Cancelled
      0–0[lower-alpha 1]      		 Scarlets
      Ravenhill Stadium
      29 May 2021
      18:15
      Benetton 20–12 Connacht
      Stadio Comunale di Monigo
      29 May 2021
      19:35
      Dragons 16–27 Glasgow Warriors (1 BP)
      Cardiff City Stadium
      Bye/s: Edinburgh, Leinster, Ospreys, Zebre

      Round 5
      4 June 2021
      18:00
      (1 BP) Connacht 26–19 Ospreys (1 BP)
      The Sportsground
      4 June 2021
      20:15
      Glasgow Warriors 15–12 Leinster (1 BP)
      Scotstoun Stadium
      5 June 2021
      17:15
      (2 BP) Edinburgh 31–34 Ulster (1 BP)
      Try: Van der Merwe 3'
      Kinghorn 7' c
      Schoeman 67' c
      Hutchison 73' c
      Sau 76'
      Con: Kinghorn (3) 8' 67' 74'      		Report
      Highlights      		Try: Hume 12' c
      Henderson 19' c
      McCloskey 27' c
      McBurney 38'
      Lyttle 47'
      Con: Madigan (3) 13' 19' 28'
      Pen: Madigan 80+1'
      Murrayfield
      5 June 2021
      19:35
      (1 BP) Cardiff Blues 37–12 Zebre
      Cardiff Arms Park
      Bye/s: Benetton, Dragons, Munster, Scarlets

      Round 6
      11 June 2021
      19:00
      Zebre 11–54 Munster (1 BP)
      Stadio Sergio Lanfranchi
      11 June 2021
      20:15
      (1 BP) Leinster 38–7 Dragons
      RDS Arena
      12 June 2021
      19:35
      Ospreys Cancelled
      0–0[lower-alpha 2]      		 Benetton
      Brewery Field
      13 June 2021
      13:00
      (1 BP) Scarlets 28–28 Edinburgh (1 BP)
      Parc y Scarlets
      Bye/s: Cardiff Blues, Connacht, Glasgow Warriors, Ulster

      PRO14 Rainbow Cup SA

      All kickoff times are local.
      League stage

      Round 1
      1 May 2021
      14:00
      (1 BP) Stormers 30–33 Sharks (1 BP)
      Cape Town Stadium
      1 May 2021
      19:00
      Bulls 22–9 Lions
      Loftus Versfeld

      Round 2
      8 May 2021
      16:00
      (1 BP) Sharks 34–26 Lions (1 BP)
      Kings Park Stadium
      8 May 2021
      18:15
      (1 BP) Stormers 16–20 Bulls
      Cape Town Stadium

      Round 3
      15 May 2021
      13:30
      (2 BP) Lions 37–39 Stormers (1 BP)
      Ellis Park Stadium
      15 May 2021
      18:15
      (1 BP) Bulls 43-9 Sharks
      Loftus Versfeld

      Round 4
      22 May 2021
      13:00
      (1 BP) Sharks 22–25 Stormers
      Kings Park Stadium
      22 May 2021
      15:30
      (1 BP) Lions 34–33 Bulls (2 BP)
      Ellis Park Stadium

      Round 5
      4 June 2021
      19:00
      (1 BP) Bulls 31–27 Stormers (2 BP)
      Loftus Versfeld
      5 June 2021
      16:00
      Lions 21–33 Sharks (1 BP)
      Ellis Park Stadium

      Round 6
      12 June 2021
      16:00
      Stormers Cancelled
      0–0[lower-alpha 3]      		 Lions
      Cape Town Stadium
      12 June 2021
      18:15
      Sharks 22–34 Bulls (1 BP)
      Kings Park Stadium

      Final

      The first-placed teams from each tournament, Benetton and Bulls, played in the final in Treviso.[14] Benetton won 35–8 in front of their home crowd for a historic first win of an international competition for any Italian club.[15][16]

      19 June 2021
      18:30 CEST (UTC+2)
      Benetton 35–8 Bulls
      Try: Ioane 5' m
      Els 31' m
      Penalty try 40'
      Lamaro 42' c
      Padovani 57' m
      Con: Garbisi (1/4) 43'
      Pen: Garbisi (2/3) 20', 47'      		ReportTry: Tambwe 26' m
      Con: Smith (0/1)
      Pen: Smith (1/1) 30'
      Stadio Comunale di Monigo
      Attendance: 1250[15]
      Referee: Frank Murphy (IRFU)

      References
      1. "Guinness PRO14 & Rainbow Cup - Questions & Answers". GuinnessPro14. 23 December 2020. Retrieved 4 April 2021.
      2. "Guinness PRO14 to Conclude in March Ahead of Rainbow Cup with South Africa's Super Teams". GuinnessPro14. 23 December 2020. Retrieved 21 February 2021.
      3. "Franchise Cup back to just that – a contest between franchises". www.news24.com. Retrieved 2021-10-08.
      4. "Dual Tournament Approach to Guinness PRO14 Rainbow Cup". www.pro14.rugby. Retrieved 2021-04-21.
      5. "Revised PRO14 Rainbow Cup SA schedule confirmed".
      6. "Europe to host Pro14 Rainbow Cup final". BBC Sport. Retrieved 2021-05-14.
      7. "Law Trials confirmed for Guinness PRO14 Rainbow Cup". Pro14. 15 April 2021. Retrieved 15 April 2021.
      8. "Uproar as CJ Stander's Captain Challenge Ends Game".
      9. "Munster v Cardiff Blues proved Captain's Challenge needs to be scrapped". 29 May 2021.
      10. "'The trial hasn't worked. I don't think it's going to feature beyond the Rainbow Cup'".
      11. "World Rugby confirms adoption of welfare-driven laws | World Rugby".
      12. Competition Rule 3.1.4 "Summary of Key Rules". Pro14. Retrieved 4 April 2021.
      13. Competition Rule 3.1.4 "Summary of Key Rules". Pro14. Retrieved 4 April 2021.
      14. "Italy to Host Historic 'North v South' Guinness PRO14 Rainbow Cup Final in Treviso". www.pro14.rugby. Retrieved 2021-05-28.
      15. "Capolavoro Treviso! 35-8 ai Bulls, la Rainbow Cup è italiana". gazzetta.it (in Italian). Retrieved 2021-06-19.
      16. "Pro14 Rainbow Cup final: Benetton 35-8 Bulls - hosts win first major title". BBC Sport. 19 June 2021. Retrieved 2 July 2021.

      Notes
      1. Ulster Rugby returned several positive COVID-19 tests and were therefore unable to field a team.
        Scarlets awarded four match points.
      2. Ospreys returned several positive COVID-19 tests and were therefore unable to field a team.
        Benetton awarded four match points.
      3. Lions returned several positive COVID-19 tests and were therefore unable to field a team.
        Stormers awarded four match points.
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