Are SA’s rugby teams ready for the Rainbow Cup?

How well prepared are the South African teams really for the Rainbow Cup?

The new series kicks off in just over three weeks but questions have to be asked about the ability of the four SA franchises to cope with the demands of this new competition.

By now it’s well known that the SA sides will be involved in local derbies over the first three rounds before they face European teams in foreign conditions.

Bulls and Sharks coaches Jake White and Sean Everitt have already remarked, however, that the structures of the competition will be lopsided with SA teams facing the European sides only in away fixtures, with no matches against them being played on home soil.

Sharks coach Sean Everitt (left) and Bulls coach Jake White. Picture: Steve Haag/Gallo Images

Even the local derbies could be described as lopsided.

The Bulls and the Stormers will, for instance, play two of their three derbies at home, while the Sharks and the Lions will have only one home game.

The Bulls have the Lions and Sharks at home and play away to the Stormers, while the Stormers have the Sharks and Bulls at home and play away to the Lions.

The Sharks have the Lions at home but play away to the Bulls and the Stormers, while the Lions have the Stormers at home but play away to the Bulls and the Sharks in their opening two games.

Where’s the fairness in that?

The odds could be stacked against the Lions and the Sharks even before their departure overseas, while the Bulls and the Stormers could be in prime seats by the time they board their flights.

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Faced with a two-week isolation period in Bristol before the start of round four, the question remains how well the recently concluded Preparation Series did to actually prepare them for what could await in Europe.

They might be well prepared in terms of conditioning, but the top players had very little exposure in the warm-up campaign.

Bulls captain Duane Vermeulen, for instance, missed the entire Preparation Series and will only start running in a week’s time, while centre Cornal Hendricks and prop Trevor Nyakane returned only towards the end of the series.

Teams like the Sharks, Stormers and Lions gradually introduced their top stars towards the end of the series, and they too could be well short of sufficient game time.

SA director of rugby Rassie Erasmus admittedly lauded the top teams and referees for improving game in play situations in the Preparation Series, but can this actually be implemented against the breakdown-orientated and defence-crazy attitude of the Europe teams?

The Rainbow Cup is bound to be more challenging for our local teams than most would like to believe.

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