Cancelled Rainbow Cup? What’s at stake for SA Rugby

If reports are to be believed, South Africa’s participation in the Rainbow Cup is in serious doubt. Should the four local teams – the Bulls, Lions, Sharks and Stormers – not play in the competition, SA Rugby and the players will feel the effects.

Here The Citizen considers what is at stake.

Impact of the cash loss for SA Rugby and the players

The financial implications if the Rainbow Cup is scrapped could be catastrophic, especially after SA Rugby’s decision to turn their back on Super Rugby and head north.

SA Rugby’s finances already took a blow due to the Cheetahs and Kings not playing in the last season of Pro14 because of the coronavirus pandemic. The loss of income through television rights has been massive.

Furthermore, the franchises are finding it increasingly tough to pay their players due to a lack of international competition and it has become a big challenge to keep sponsors and stakeholders happy.

The players could also face more pay cuts, something that already hit the players hard during the first wave of the coronavirus and the initial hard lockdown.

ALSO READ: Rainbow Cup in doubt with SA teams in the dark

Players not getting international exposure

There are serious concerns about how battle-ready the top local players will be due to a lack of international competition.

It’s all well and good that the national body has arranged local competitions to keep the players active, but local competition is simply not enough to keep the players on a high level and standard required to be on par with the overseas-based players in Europe.

One’s got to wonder how motivated the players have been, and will be, to continue playing against one another week-in and week-out in another local competition. And what is the point?

And if the British and Irish Lions do still come to South Africa in July, how ready will the local players really be, without being tested by strong international opposition?

Will the Lions tour be affected by the Rainbow Cup?

While the Lions tour has been given the go ahead to take place as originally scheduled the cancellation of the Rainbow Cup would reopen discussions about the Lions tour.

If the England government is reluctant to clear the SA teams from entering the country for the Rainbow Cup, what assurances are in place to clear the Lions players leaving their country (and Europe)?

We can’t ignore the fact that major issues around the Lions tour are still very much up in the air.  This includes matters around air travel, accommodation, vaccinations, fan involvement, etc.

SA Rugby desperately need the Lions tour to happen, but the cancellation of the Rainbow Cup could eventually have a ripple effect. – Rudolph Jacobs