mens South African franchise snaps up Noel McNamara, the Ireland age-grade Grand Slam coach
Successful age-grade coach Noel McNamara has just secured a huge promotion, moving from Ireland to the Sharks in South Africa.
by Kim Ekin 
by Kim Ekin Pro14 Rainbow Cup
Pro14 Rainbow Cup
The PRO14 Rainbow Cup was a one-off tournament that took place in 2021 prior to the formation of the United Rugby Championship. It was a hotly contested competition that was ultimately won by Benetton, who claimed their first ever international title.
Read on to discover everything there is to know about the PRO14 Rainbow Cup. On this page, you’ll find a detailed history of the tournament, historic results and information on the tournament format.
by Kim Ekin History of the PRO14 Rainbow Cup
The idea for the PRO14 Rainbow Cup was born when the impact of the coronavirus pandemic meant that many teams could not travel internationally to compete in the PRO14. This caused the Cheetahs and the Southern Kings to withdraw from the 2020 edition of the tournament, with the Southern Kings folding entirely.
This change then caused a rethink of how the PRO14 competition operated. As a result, at the end of 2020, it was announced that South Africa’s Super Rugby sides would join the competition at the conclusion of the 2021 season. To introduce them to the tournament, which would then be known as the United Rugby Championship, the PRO14 Rainbow Cup was created.
Fixtures & Results
Teams
Benetton 
Bulls 
Cardiff Blues 
Connacht 
Edinburgh 
Glasgow 
Gwent Dragons 
Leinster 
Munster 
Ospreys 
Scarlets 
Ulster 
Zebre PRO14 Rainbow Cup Format
The PRO14 Rainbow Cup took place between April and June 2021. A total of six rounds of fixtures took place between the 12 European sides involved, who were ranked using a single league table. In total, each team played five matches and Benetton finished at the top of the table.
At this stage of the tournament, Benetton were then invited to play against the champions of the Rainbow Cup SA, which was won by the Bulls. Benetton then won this final, which was played in Treviso, 35-8. This marked the first time that an Italian rugby club won an international rugby competition.
