SA rugby teams gear up for Rainbow Cup
THE 2021 rugby season will kick off on February 27 when the Bulls host the EP Elephants in the first of a series of “preparation matches” that finish on the weekend of March 27.
These games will not be played as part of a competition and are purely designed to get SA’s top teams into shape for the Rainbow Cup (SA’s four former Super Rugby teams plus Europe's current PRO 14 sides), which kicks off on April 17.
SA Rugby has announced that there will be eight provincial teams involved as national planning focuses on entry to the Rainbow Cup and the Springboks’ forthcoming series against the British & Irish Lions.
SA Rugby said that the series of encounters have been specifically designed to meet the teams’ high-performance needs against the landscape of the pandemic and to prepare them for the coming season.
One significant change is that teams will play on a 10-day cycle (rather than each week) to manage Covid testing protocols. This solves a major frustration of the recently completed Currie Cup where coaches only knew which players were available when Covid results came in on the Wednesday before a match.
The eight teams – the EP Elephants join the seven sides that competed in the Currie Cup – have been split into two groups and will play cross-pool matches, ensuring four encounters for every side.
Pool A will consist of the Bulls, Lions, Griquas and Cheetahs, and they will play the four sides in Pool B, namely the Sharks, Stormers, Pumas and Eastern Province Elephants.
Venues and kick-off times are still to be confirmed, but the four matches in the opening round will see the Bulls play the EP Elephants, the Lions host the Pumas, the Sharks squaring off against Griquas, and the Stormers up against the Cheetahs.
“It’s imperative that we get the new season under way as soon as possible as we have a big year ahead, with preparing our players for the British & Irish Lions a top priority, but also providing opportunities for all teams to get match fit with an eye on entry into European competitions, and our planned local season,” said Rassie Erasmus, Director of Rugby.
“These matches will provide our top players with further opportunities to test themselves against the best in South Africa, while our match officials will also get some valuable game time under the belt.”