Rainbow Cup: Five takeaways from Round one
SPOTLIGHT: The opening round of PRO14 Rainbow Cup SA action threw up plenty of talking points, from Reniel Hugo’s stunning hat-trick to the Stormers’ red-card double.
Those incidents contributed to an absorbing day of action on Saturday and set the tone for what should be a keenly contested battle among the South African sides over the coming weeks.
Here, we take a look at five things we learned from the opening round.
Imagine scoring a hat-trick in 6⃣ minutes 🤩
Stuff of fantasy? 🧙♂️🔮
Not for Reniel Hugo it’s not…#PRO14RainbowCupSA @TheSharksZA pic.twitter.com/cECeeJYx6D
— PRO14 RUGBY (@PRO14Official) May 4, 2021
Hat-trick hero Hugo a handful
The Sharks’ comeback victory over the Stormers owed much to a remarkable six-minute hat-trick from second row Hugo.
He only joined the Sharks from the Cheetahs in February but has wasted no time in making his mark.
“It was a big turning point,” said Sharks coach Sean Everitt. “We were quite fortunate when the ball came off a Stormers player for one try but I think Reniel put in a really good performance generally all around the field.
“His work rate was extremely high and that’s why we brought him to the Sharks.”
Siya settling in
The Sharks’ win also saw arguably the biggest name in the competition take to the field as Siya Kolisi continued adapting to his new surroundings following his recent move from Saturday’s opponents.
“We’re very happy with where he is,” Everitt said.
“He’s still becoming comfortable with how we play and how we move the ball but he’s certainly making good inroads into his game and he’s certainly improved from when he arrived.”
Siya Kolisi makin’ his @TheSharksZA arrival like 🔥#PRO14RainbowCupSA pic.twitter.com/2QnpXbUZaE
— PRO14 RUGBY (@PRO14Official) May 5, 2021
Red-card law put through its paces
As the weeks go by, we are sure to see increasing examples of the three law variations having an impact on matches and on Saturday it was the turn of the red card rule to take the spotlight.
Under the new guidance, teams losing a player to a red card can replace that man after 20 minutes and the Stormers will now be more familiar than most with the changes after having two sent off against the Sharks.
With Seabelo Senatla and Willie Engelbrecht seeing red, and the latter having earlier spent time in the sin bin, the Stormers were down to 13 men for a period.
However, the new laws allowed them to finish with a full complement after serving their time while the Sharks ended the game with 14 men after Jeremy Ward was yellow-carded in the last 10 minutes.
Opening round takes a physical toll
One sour note of the opening weekend of South African action was the occurrence of a couple of serious injuries.
Among them was Stormers flyhalf Kade Wolhuter, who will not play again this season after suffering a torn ACL.
“The game we love so much is full of the most extreme ups and downs,” he wrote on Instagram.
There was similar disappointment for exciting Emirates Lions prospect Tiaan Swanepoel, who also sustained a suspected ligament injury early in the defeat to the Bulls.
“We’ll have to see what the doctor says but it sounds serious,” said coach Ivan van Rooyen.
“It’s definitely a lower-limb problem.”
ICYMI 📺⬇️
Match highlights from the weekend’s clash at Loftus Versfeld as @BlueBullsRugby hosted @LionsRugbyCo in Round 1 of the #PRO14RainbowCupSA 🇿🇦 pic.twitter.com/7M5cr4YYQi
— PRO14 RUGBY (@PRO14Official) May 5, 2021
Bulls set for a fitness boost
Jake White revealed in his post-match press conference the Vodacom Bulls could welcome back Springboks Duane Vermeulen and Trevor Nyakane – the team’s captain and vice-captain respectively – for next weekend’s clash with the Stormers.
Vermeulen has been out with a knee injury while Nyakane has suffered with a rib issue but both are nearing return, along with a number of other Bulls players who have been in the treatment room.
“We’ll have a look at the combinations and see what we think is the best to go and challenge the Stormers in Cape Town,” said White.
Source: @Pro14Official
