Today sees the launch of the PRO14 Rainbow Cup SA with a pair of fixtures that are sure to catch the eye. After a breathless first weekend of action in the northern hemisphere competition, the South African edition promises to deliver further must-watch rugby.
The Vodacom Bulls will look to continue their dominance on the domestic scene after being crowned the Carling Currie Cup and Vodacom Super Rugby Unlocked champions and stretch their winning run at ‘Fortress Loftus’ to 12 matches when they host their neighbours, the Emirates Lions in Pretoria.
The hosts will enter the game on a five-match winning streak against their Johannesburg rivals across all competitions, while they will also draw encouragement from their track record of 15 wins in the last 21 matches between the sides.
“We are definitely excited for the new Rainbow Cup SA tournament and thrilled to kick off the competition at Loftus, against our neighbours the Emirates Lions,” said Jake White, Vodacom Bulls Director of Rugby.
“As always, we have been consistently working and all of us are looking forward to running out on the field again. We have a good mix of youth and experience in our group, and we are keen to see them gel together.”
The Emirates Lions, however, will take confidence from the fact that the last three matches between the teams came down to the wire with no more than seven points separating them on the scoreboard.
This combined with their determination to sway their fortunes against the Vodacom Bulls is expected to motivate them significantly going into the clash.
“The first round of the northern leg was extremely exciting and a great showcase of high-quality rugby,” said Ivan van Rooyen, head coach of the Emirates Lions.
“We are excited about the start of the PRO14 Rainbow Cup SA this weekend. It's great for the fans to see the future of southern and northern hemisphere rugby and it will be good to see our boys back on the pitch, doing what they love.”
The normal Guinness PRO14 points’ system will apply, with four points for a win, bonus points for scoring four tries or more, or for losing within a margin of seven points or fewer, while two points will be awarded to each team for a drawn match.
Vodacom Bulls: James Verity-Amm; Madosh Tambwe, Marco Jansen van Vuren, Cornal Hendricks; Stravino Jacobs, Chris Smith, Embrose Papier; Gerhard Steenekamp, Johan Grobbelaar, Mornay Smith, Janko Swanepoel, Ruan Nortje, Marco van Staden, Elrigh Louw, Nizaam Carr. Replacements: Joe van Zyl, Lizo Gqoboka, Jacques van Rooyen, Walt Steenkamp, Arno Botha, Zak Burger, Morne Steyn, David Kriel.
Emirates Lions: Tiaan Swanepoel, Stean Pienaar, Wandisile Simelane, Dan Kriel (CAPT), Courtnall Skosan, Fred Zeilinga, Andre Warne;Sti Sithole, PJ Botha, Jannie du Plessis, Ruben Schoeman, Wilhelm van der Sluys, MJ Pelser, Vincent Tshituka, Francke Horn. Replacements: Morne Brandon, Nathan McBeth, Carlu Sadie, Reinhard Nothnagel, Emmanuel Tshituka, Sibusiso Sangweni, Morne van den Berg, EW Viljoen.
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