News, Rugby January 3, 2021

The British and Irish Lions Tour to South Africa 2021……December News Bites

The British and Irish Lions Tour to South Africa 2021……December News Bites
Well here we are seven months away from the el clasico tournament of world rugby on the top step into the New Year. Awash with anticipation of this great sporting adventure; to watch The British & Irish Lions in a clash of the titans with the world champion Springboks in South Africa. What spectacle could be finer than three pulsating Tests preceded by five warm-up matches against, an Invitational South Africa side, the best of South Africa’s provincial clubs and South Africa A, running from July 3rd to August 7th 2021. Rugby has fought its way through a hurdle riddled 2020 amidst the pressure cooker of the coronavirus pandemic with great grit and determination. But….YES, there is much brighter light in the 2021 tunnel as vaccines arrive and are administered. The turmoil of 2020 makes this edition of The British & Irish Lions Tour all the more special among the wonderful welcoming people and scenery of host nation South Africa. So don’t forget to book your Lions tickets and tour packages without delay while we continue to prowl for the latest news. Bed is for wimps!
Guinness Pro 14 to conclude in March 2021 to accommodate “Rainbow Cup”

The current Guinness PRO14 campaign will now end in March 2021 enabling South Africa’s four ‘Super’ teams and existing clubs to close the season with a 16-team “Rainbow Cup” warm-up competition in advance of The British & Irish Lions Tour 2021.

Following consultation with key PRO14 stakeholders, the Guinness PRO14 Rainbow Cup was identified as the best pathway of choice to facilitate completion of the current season in order to introduce South Africa’s four ‘Super’ teams: the Vodacom Bulls; Emirates Lions; Cell C Sharks and DHL Stormers. This decision also enables European-based sides to earn qualification for European Professional Club Rugby (EPCR) tournaments in 2021/22 in a fair and equitable manner.

As a build up to The British & Irish Lions Tour to South Africa 2021, the Guinness PRO14 Rainbow Cup is designed to present a ground-breaking spectacle for rugby fans. Giving them the opportunity to see top-flight international players from both the Northern and Southern Hemispheres with much at stake, playing a series of ultimate performance challenge matches to achieve Test selection.

Fans will not miss any of the action, right up to the last pass, kick, ruck, lineout and scrum of the Rainbow Cup in June, fans will be able to watch it all unfold with broadcast partners Premier Sports, eir Sport, S4C, TG4, DAZN and Super Sport.

How It Will It Work?

The 2020/21 Guinness PRO14 campaign will finish after 16 rounds with the Conference winners facing each other in a final in late March

Qualification for EPCR tournaments in 2021/22 will be decided by rankings after Round 16

April the 17th 2021, the Guinness PRO14 Rainbow Cup will kick-off incorporating the Vodacom Bulls, Emirates Lions, Cell C Sharks and DHL Stormers including their World Cup-winning Springboks.

The Guinness PRO14 Rainbow Cup will consist of a pool stage involving two pools of eight teams and a final between the two pool winners

Final Passage of Play Guinness PRO14

Rounds 12 to 16 will take place from February the 20th and finish on March the 20th. A final will then be played at the home venue of the top-ranked team. This abbreviated fixture list aims to ensure that in-conference home and away fixtures are completed and each team also plays all its cross-conference matches. Further clarification of this process will be available when fixtures are confirmed.

The scheduled dates for the conclusion of the 2020-21 Guinness PRO14 campaign are as follows:

Round 12: February 20th
Round 13: February 27th
Round 14: March 6th
Round 15: March 13th
Round 16: March 20th
Final: March 27th

Upon completion of Round 16, the highest-ranked teams from each conference will qualify for the 2021/22 Heineken Champions Cup. There is a requirement for play-offs currently under review.

As South Africa get ready to host their first British & Irish Lions tour since 2009, the World Cup champions have an opportunity see their ‘Super’ provincial sides: The Bulls, Lions, Sharks and Stormers in robust action against the top club XVs coming out Ireland, Italy, Scotland and Wales.

Northern Hemisphere players whose objective is selection for the British & Irish Lions squad will find this contest to be a truly testing trials environment, as they face the very best of South African rugby in the shape of Siya Kolisi, Pieter Steph du Toit (both from DHL Stormers), Duane Vermeulen (Vodacom Bulls), Elton Jantjies (Emirates Lions) and former Guinness PRO14 top-try scorer Makazole Mapimipi (Cell C Sharks).

The Guinness PRO14 Rainbow Cup kicks off on April the 17th and is structured into two pools of 8 teams. Each pool is comprised of two Irish, two South African, two Welsh, one Italian and one Scottish club. Every team will play one game against each of their pool opponents and the sides that finish top of their pools will meet in a final on June the 19th.

Spanning 57 matches, the Guinness PRO14 Rainbow Cup will feature the cream of the Springbok rugby going head-to-head with a contingent of some of the British & Irish Lions’ biggest name players, every one of them keen to stake their claim with their respective selectors in advance of what is already emerging as a simply historic tour.

Martin Anayi, CEO, PRO14 Rugby commented to Sporting Limerick:

“At a time where our sport has faced its greatest challenge, we have promising news about an innovative solution to partner with South African rugby ahead of the British & Irish Lions tour.

“It was vital that we worked with all parties to ensure our 12 teams had a clear road towards European qualification. With a Lions tour in South Africa to come it is hard to think of anything better to whet the appetite than the best players from the Celtic regions competing against World Cup-winning Springboks in the Guinness PRO14 Rainbow Cup.”

Jurie Roux, CEO, SA Rugby also commented to Sporting Limerick:

“The inclusion of South Africa’s ‘Super’ Teams in the Rainbow Cup is a once-in-a-generation, watershed moment for South African rugby. After so much turmoil and uncertainty in 2020, the prospect of a return to top-flight international domestic competition is one to which we all can all look forward with real excitement.”