Munster Rugby v Leinster Rugby Match Programme

GUINNESS PRO14 CAMPAIGN TO CONCLUDE IN
MARCH AHEAD OF NEW “RAINBOW CUP” WITH
SOUTH AFRICA’S TOP FOUR ‘SUPER’ TEAMS
The current Guinness PRO14 campaign will
end in March allowing South Africa’s four
‘Super’ teams and our existing clubs to
finish the season with a 16-team “Rainbow
Cup” competition ahead of the British &
Irish Lions tour.
After consulting with key PRO14 stakeholders, the Guinness
PRO14 Rainbow Cup was chosen as the best pathway to
finish up the current campaign and introduce South Africa’s
four ‘Super’ teams: the Vodacom Bulls; Emirates Lions; Cell
C Sharks and DHL Stormers. This decision also allows our
European-based sides to earn qualification for European
Professional Club Rugby (EPCR) tournaments in 2021/22 in
a fair and equitable manner.
Ahead of the 2021 British & Irish Lions tour to South Africa,
the Guinness PRO14 Rainbow Cup will provide a groundbreaking
spectacle for fans who will see international star
players from north and south establish new rivalries in their
bid for the ultimate Test selection.
Right through until the last kick of the ball in the Rainbow
Cup in June, fans will be able to watch it all unfold with our
broadcast partners Premier Sports, eir Sport, S4C, TG4,
DAZN and Super Sport.
How it will 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
• On April 17, 2021, the Guinness PRO14 Rainbow Cup will
kick-off and introduce the Vodacom Bulls, Emirates Lions,
Cell C Sharks and DHL Stormers and their World Cupwinning
Springboks
• The Guinness PRO14 Rainbow Cup will consist of a pool
stage (two pools of eight teams) and a final between the
two pool winners
FINAL CHAPTER OF GUINNESS PRO14
fixture list will aim to ensure home and away in-conference
fixtures are completed and each team plays all of its
cross-conference matches also. Further clarification will be
available when fixtures are confirmed.
The scheduled dates for the conclusion of the 2020-21
Guinness PRO14 campaign are:
R12: February 20
R13: February 27
R14: March 6
R15: March 13
R16: March 20
Final: March 27
Once Round 16 has been completed, the top-ranked teams
from each conference will qualify for the 2021/22 Heineken
Champions Cup. Requirement for play-offs is under review.
GUINNESS PRO14 “RAINBOW CUP”
FORGING NEW RIVALRIES
With South Africa preparing to host their first British & Irish
Lions tour since 2009, the World Cup champions will see
their ‘Super’ teams – the Bulls, Lions, Sharks and Stormers
take on the very best that Ireland, Italy, Scotland and Wales
have to offer.
Players aiming to make the British & Irish Lions squad will
find no better trial environment to test themselves in, as
they go up against the likes of Siya Kolisi, Pieter Steph du
Toit (both 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 will kick off on April 17
with two pools of 8 teams made up of two Irish, two South
African, two Welsh, one Italian and one Scottish club. Each
team will play one game against each pool opponent and
the sides that finish top of their pools will face off in a final
on June 19.
Across 57 matches, the Guinness PRO14 Rainbow Cup will
feature the best of the Springbok talent going toe-to-toe
with some of the British & Irish Lions’ biggest names – every
one of them keen to lay down a marker to their respective
selectors ahead of what will prove to an historic tour.
Rounds 12 to 16 will take place from February 20 and
conclude on March 20. A final will then take place at the
home venue of the highest-ranked team. This abbreviated
MUNSTER v LEINSTER | 23.01.21 | THOMOND PARK
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