'Fooled us into thinking SA Rugby is better': Benetton's dominant Rainbow Cup win a big reality check for SA teams in Europe
The South African champion Bulls have been outclassed 35-8 by Italian club Benetton in the final of the Rainbow Cup in Treviso in a shock upset that has stunned the rugby world.
The Italians struck early in just five minutes after a wide attack before building a 20-8 lead by halftime. Benetton continued to pile on points in the second, stretching the lead to 30-8 after a try to Lamaro and a penalty goal. Another try added more misery for the Bulls, who had two late tries disallowed.
The final was the first match for a South African club against an international club since the abrupt end of the 2020 Super Rugby competition. The result shocked South African rugby fans and European fans alike, with few expecting the Italian club to win let alone put a massive score on the Bulls.
Before the Rainbow Cup, Benetton completed a winless 16-game season in the Pro14, where the Bulls, Stormers, Lions and Sharks will now compete in the United Rugby Championship.
Concerned about ramifications for the new competition, one fan wrote he 'slightly worried that these South African sides may not actually strengthen the league as much as we thought'. Another commented that the Bulls were 'too easy to defend, too predictable and dull'.
An Irish fan wrote that the Bulls 'were lucky they weren't playing Leinster or this would be a cricket score'.
Another South African commented 'if that's a preview of what's to come with the British & Irish Lions, we are screwed'. Another felt that 'international competition is needed' after the pandemic has 'fooled us' into thinking SA Rugby is better than it is.
The South African style of playing for penalties and working for driving mauls came completely unstuck against the high-tempo Italian team.
How the South African teams will fare against the rest of the Pro14 teams is now in question, particularly with differing styles of sides likes powerhouse Leinster who play a high possession attacking game.
During Super Rugby Unlocked last season, former Springbok coach Nick Mallett and Lions head coach Swys de Bruin were heavily critical of the state of the domestic game.
“It’s difficult not to be a little bit negative on the performances of our teams quite frankly,’ Mallett said on a post-game SuperSport show.
“If you compare it with the way New Zealand cracked in with their Aotearoa competition, with teams really embracing the quick-ruck ball and ball-in-hand style they were reasonably high-scoring games, but the defences were excellent and their attacks were great.
"It was rugby that was worth watching.”
Former Springbok assistant De Bruin agreed, deriding how predictable the game was with scrum reset after reset.
“It’s almost like a storybook now… I can see there’s a scrum that will reset and reset again, then the advantage will come, then the next chapter is the penalty,” he said.
“From there the maul starts. Before the maul there is a little meeting with forwards that eats up more time.”
Latest Comments
My name is Amelia Jonathan from the United States, Using this opportunity to thank Dr. Ughulu is a grateful thing to me, for over years I have been sick with Hepatitis B disease, I have done a lot of things to get cured of my diseases and nothing has worked out. I have taken different types of medication for it , but it still doesn’t work for me. I still keep going for a check up so that the doctor will tell me my disease has gone, because i’m taking my medicine with no result nothing has been cured, I have spent a lot of money just to get cure of Hepatitis B. until my old time friend came to my place and saw what am going through, and then direct me to contact Dr. Ughulu who is a very powerful man, which I did explain my problem to Dr. Ughulu and send me a herbal remedy bottle and explain to me how I should drink it. So I started to drink the herbal tea in one week that I drink the herbal tea. I went for a check up to check if I’m cured from Hepatitis B disease, then the nurse told me nothing is wrong with me anymore and said I’m fine. I am the happiest person right now. I promise Dr Ughulu I will testify about his good work on the internet. Reach out to Dr. Ughulu Via: drughulupowerfulspelltemple@gmail.com Thank you so much sir for what you did for me you are the best of all. TEXT OR CALL: +1(252) 409-1841 WHATSAPP NUMBER: +1(720) 794-2516
Go to commentsBorthwick definitely deserves credit for the performance against Wales. He's been justly criticised for taking so long to get a performance out of them but it definitely feels like he was the architect of that win. He picked a very strangely balanced 23 and it played out perfectly. Fingers crossed Borthwick will take the shackles off now. If we went after Ireland with that level of determination and self belief it may have been a different result. That's not to say we would have been able to play in the same manner but it felt like the first time since last year's Ireland that the players were singing off the same hymn sheet. There was a shared purpose and everyone played their part to near perfection. Again, it was a poor Wales so can't get ahead of ourselves but I hope Borthwick will turn a corner.
Go to comments