The final will involve the top ranked South African team from the Rainbow Cup South Africa, currently the Bulls, who will play the first-placed Pro14 side in those standings, which also happens to be Benetton.
THE HOME of Benetton rugby, the Stadio Comunale di Monigo, will host the Rainbow Cup’s North vs South final, SA Rugby announced in a statement on Thursday.
The final will involve the top ranked South African team from the Rainbow Cup South Africa, currently the Bulls, who will play the first-placed Pro14 side in those standings, which also happens to be Benetton, with three rounds remaining in that tournament.
The venue was selected due to its familiarity, and the exciting Covid-19 protocols and infrastructure, the statement read. A maximum of 1,000 fans will also be allowed in the stadium.
“We are incredibly grateful to our friends and colleagues in Italian rugby for their role in creating this opportunity to host the North vs South Rainbow Cup Final,” said Martin Anayi, CEO of Pro14 Rugby.
“In a very short space of time we have been able to find a terrific way to tie the two tournaments together as originally envisaged and provide a glimpse of the future as the top team from the existing Guinness Pro14 meets the best that South Africa has to offer.
“When the cross-hemisphere fixtures were removed from the original Rainbow Cup schedule due to travel restrictions our disappointment was matched by our clubs, their fans and our broadcasters.
“However, our team has worked hard to reconfigure the competition with this historic final and we can now deliver on the unique excitement that the Guinness Pro14 Rainbow Cup originally promised.
The match is scheduled for Saturday, June 19, a week after the final round of fixtures have been completed in both conferences. A kick-off time will be announced at a later date.
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