Guinness Pro14 Rainbow Cup Final 2021

TREVISO’S STADIO DI MONIGO, HOME GROUND TO BENETTON RUGBY, IS THE HOST
STADIUM FOR TODAY’S HISTORIC GUINNESS PRO14 RAINBOW CUP FINAL. FOR
THE FIRST TIME EVER, THIS FINAL, THE CULMINATION OF A NEW TOURNAMENT
FORMAT, WILL SEE THE CLASH OF THE TABLE TOPPERS OF THE GUINNESS PRO14
RAINBOW CUP’S NORTHERN AND SOUTHERN HEMISPHERE POOLS.
While many fans may not have
experienced live rugby yet in
2021, some lucky fans have been
able to return to watch their
teams play, giving the sense
that after a long period without
the roar of fans in stadia, we are
slowly returning to normality. We
are delighted to welcome fans
here today and hope this final
excites and gives the lucky fans
in attendance the experience of
live rugby that we have all missed.
Fans often act as the 16th player
and, even though many are still
absent, we are sure that wherever
fans are watching from, they were
will able to enjoy the magic of the
GUINNESS PRO14.
“THE FIRST EVER
GUINNESS PRO14
RAINBOW CUP
FINAL WILL BE
DECIDED HERE
TODAY, AND WILL
SEE THE CLASH OF
CLUBS, COUNTRIES
AND EVEN
HEMISPHERES”
Although initially, crosshemisphere
fixtures did not look
likely, the incredible work of the
GUINNESS PRO14 team and every
club has made it possible for us
all to be here today. Everyone
involved in making this historic
event happen deserves immense
praise for their efforts.
The first ever GUINNESS PRO14
Rainbow Cup Final will be
decided here today, and will
see the clash of clubs, countries
and even hemispheres. The big
question on everyone’s lips is will
the trophy remain here in Italy
with Benetton Rugby, or is it on
its way to South Africa with the
Vodacom Bulls?
Congratulations to Benetton
Rugby and the Vodacom Bulls
on reaching the final, we have no
doubt that you will do your clubs
proud and provide a fantastic
spectacle for us all. To the fans
of both teams wherever you
are watching from, be it in the
stadium or at home - we hope that
you enjoy this GUINNESS PRO14
Rainbow Cup Final – and may the
best team win!
ENJOY THE GUINNESS PRO14
RAINBOW CUP FINAL
GRÁINNE WAFER
GUINNESS GLOBAL
BRAND DIRECTOR,
DIAGEO
PRO14 RAINBOW CUP FINAL 2021 3

MAKE IT A GAME
YOU’LL REMEMBER.
MODERATE YOUR DRINKING.
MAKE YOUR NEXT PINT TAP WATER.
SOMETIMES LESS IS MORE
#GUINNESSCLEAR

BENETTON v VODACOM BULLS
SATURDAY 19TH JUNE 2021 • 5.30PM
CONTENTS
08
13
10
15
PRO14 Editors
Anna Egan
Photos
INPHO
Marketing
Mark Fernandez
Content
Press Association
This programme was designed
on behalf of Guinness by
Ignition Sports Media.
www.ignitionsportsmedia.com
CEO
Martin Anayi
Chairman
Nick Clarry
Tournament Director
David Jordan
Marketing Director
Tom Lister
Head of Operations
Charl Crous
Head of Broadcast & Communications
Adam Redmond
Head of Marketing
Marc Fernandez
Head of Insight
Rob Balmer
Head of Finance Transformation
Marc McGlade
Finance Manager
Carla McCallion
Tournament Manager
Amy Monaghan
Elite Referee Manager
Greg Garner
Events & Commercial Operations
Manager
Laura Ruhan
Social Media Channels Manager
Matthew Thoma
Communications Executive
Anna Egan
Marketing Executive
Alex Patel
Finance Executive
Alba Sarrias
PRO14 RAINBOW CUP FINAL 2021 5

EVERY FIXTURE
EVERY TRY
EVERY TACKLE
ALL IN
ONE APP

PRO14
WELCOME
THIS GAME WILL BE TRULY UNIQUE IN OUR TOURNAMENT AS IT WAVES GOODBYE
TO THE PAST WHILE WE WELCOME AN EXCITING FUTURE. GOODBYE TO GUINNESS
PRO14 AND WELCOME TO THE UNITED RUGBY CHAMPIONSHIP.
Last year we did not envisage
the Rainbow Cup or a final being
played in Italy, but today we are
so very, very grateful to enjoy this
occasion. Benetton Rugby of Italy
taking on the Vodacom Bulls of
South Africa here in the Stadio
Monigo will be a memorable
occasion for so many reasons.
I must firstly thank our colleagues
in Italian rugby and their
government for their ambition,
their bravery and their hard work
to provide us with this option to
play our North v South, Guinness
PRO14 Rainbow Cup Final. We
were heartbroken when it became
clear we could not stage our crosshemisphere
fixtures in the Rainbow
Cup, that we would not see the
games we envisioned.
We spoke of how a North v
South Final could provide some
consolation, but it was difficult to see
where we would be accommodated.
The FIR, Benetton Rugby and the
Italian government came to the
rescue as our white knights and for
fans to also be in attendance today
as we get a taste of what is to come
in the United Rugby Championship is
quite romantic.
Our teams could not be better
positioned in the classic ‘David v
Goliath’ mould. Benetton went all
season without a win, but have
won four from four in the Rainbow
Cup and face Jake White’s
formidable Vodacom Bulls who
hold all the domestic trophies in
South Africa.
This game will be a glimpse
into the future that begins in
September when the best of South
Africa will begin to face the best of
Ireland, Italy, Scotland and Wales
on a regular basis in the United
Rugby Championship.
Fans have always asked more of
our league and now we are taking
it to new heights. The United
Rugby Championship will see
World Cup winners, icons of the
Guinness Six Nations, the Rugby
Championship and stars of the
British & Irish Lions tour turning
up the intensity in an exciting new
league format. Since the origins
of the Celtic League in 2001,
the vision has been to innovate
and evolve in order to create a
compelling competition which
would challenge our players and
teams to be at their very best
every single week. Their potential
has never been in doubt and now
we can provide them with the
arena to be the very best.
Forming the United Rugby
Championship will begin to
reshape the world of club
rugby. We are creating a league
that embraces and celebrates
difference and where the only
way to succeed will be to match
the skill and intensity of the
international game.
We hope to see a Test-level game
today that is fiercely contested
and leaves us in no doubt about
what is to come. This is a farewell
to the PRO14 as we know, but it is
also goodbye to Kieran Crowley
as Benetton’s head coach, he has
achieved so much in Treviso and
was a worth winner of the league’s
Coach of the Year award in 2019.
The Italy job awaits, but first there
is some history at stake.
ENJOY THE GAME
MARTIN ANAYI
CEO, UNITED RUGBY
CHAMPIONSHIP
PRO14 RAINBOW CUP FINAL 2021 7

MATCH PREVIEW
BENETTON
v BULLS
BENETTON WILL LOOK TO COMPLETE A REMARKABLE UNDERDOG STORY
WHEN THEY WELCOME THE VODACOM BULLS TO TREVISO FOR THE GUINNESS
PRO14 RAINBOW CUP FINAL ON SATURDAY.
The Italian outfit are the only unbeaten
side across both sections of the
competition – a stunning turnaround
after their winless 2020-21 Guinness
PRO14 campaign.
The Bulls finished eight points clear at
the top of the South African standings
after losing only one of their six
Rainbow Cup fixtures, earning their
place in the long-awaited first crosshemisphere
clash of the competition.
With the Bulls – along with the DHL
Stormers, Cell C Sharks and Emirates
Lions – joining the competition
full-time from next season, all eyes
will be on Treviso to see how the
sides compare.
ROUTE TO THE FINAL
Benetton kicked off their campaign
with a stunning 46-19 victory over
Glasgow Warriors which set the
tone for their run to this weekend’s
showpiece.
Following back-to-back wins against
Zebre, they pulled off another excellent
triumph over Connacht and the
cancellation of their Round 6 clash with
the Ospreys confirmed their place in
the final.
The Bulls were close to peerless in their
PRO14 Rainbow Cup campaign.
Their 43-9 victory over the Sharks in
Round 3 put them firmly on a path to
the final while a one-point reverse to
the Emirates Lions in Johannesburg
was their only defeat.
8 PRO14 RAINBOW CUP FINAL 2021

THE BREAKDOWN
Benetton fly-half Paolo Garbisi ended
the league stage as joint top scorer in
the northern section with 52 while he
also successfully kicked more penalties
than any other player (10).
Jayden Hayward was top for offloads
(7) and Toa Halafihi, who also chipped
in with three tries, was the stats leader
for turnovers won (7).
The Bulls’ run to the final has also
been driven by a number of impressive
individual displays across the park.
Morne Steyn is the PRO14 Rainbow
Cup SA’s top points scorer (53)
while Stravino Jacobs and Madosh
Tambwe lead the way for clean
breaks (11) and defenders beaten (27)
respectively.
Marco van Staden tops the charts for
tackles (76) and turnovers won (6)
and Johan Grobbelaar’s record of 65
lineouts won puts him 23 clear of his
closest challenger.
WHAT THEY SAID
JAYDEN HAYWARD (BENETTON):
“It’s wonderful we’re in
the final. Everyone is
super excited; the first
time Treviso has been in
a final.
“I think we’ve earned
our place to be in the
final. We haven’t lost
a game and we beat
Glasgow and they beat Leinster in
Round 5. And we beat Connacht
and they beat Munster at their home
ground, so I think the whole squad
and coaching staff really believe we’ve
earned our place to be there.
“For Treviso to be in a final is one
thing but for Treviso to play in a final
in Treviso is such a wonderful thing
for the club and it’s going to be a
wonderful experience.”
JAKE WHITE (VODACOM BULLS):
“It’s an exciting occasion
for the whole of South
Africa. Everyone is just
keen to see a different
type of game to the
local derbies.
“(Sharks coach) Sean
Everitt told me: ‘Go
win it for South Africa’.
The reality is that everyone just wants
to see something different. We have
a great chance to play in Europe
for the first time and we want to
measure ourselves against the best
in the competition.
“We want to see where we compare to
the only team that’s been unbeaten in
this tournament.”
PRO14 RAINBOW CUP FINAL 2021 9

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Marco Zanon of Italy and
Benetton cuts loose v
Glasgow Warriors in R1 of
the Rainbow Cup

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TEAM PROFILE
BENETTON
RUGBY
Rainbows bring the promise
of sunshine after a storm and
that has certainly been
true of the Guinness PRO14
Rainbow Cup for Benetton.
Following the gloom of
their winless regular season,
the clouds have cleared and
the men from Treviso are
now basking in the glow
of an upturn in form which
has carried them all the way
to a final against the Vodacom
Bulls, which will be played on
home soil on Saturday.
But it has been a long and
testing season for Kieran
Crowley’s men.
A glance at the 2020-
21 Guinness PRO14 table
lays bare Benetton’s
shortcomings during a
campaign which saw
them finish bottom of
Conference B with zero wins
from 16 matches.
Double derby defeat to Zebre
across back-to-back January
weekends also dashed any
hope of making a fresh start
to the new year.
Despite their dismal
record in the PRO14,
results in the European
Rugby Challenge Cup
gave some cause
for optimism, with
a 44-20 win at
Stade Francais in
December
standing alone
as their only
win in any
competition
for much of the
season.
A 29-16 victory over Agen in
early April saw them become
the first Italian side to reach a
European quarter-final, which
they ultimately lost 31-25 to
Montpellier in a match that
was neck-and-neck until the
French side edged clear in the
second half.
Those European performances
gave Benetton confidence
heading into the Rainbow Cup
- and it showed.
Crowley’s side opened their
campaign with a stunning
46-19 win against Glasgow
Warriors, racing into a 21-0
half-time lead to leave their
Scottish visitors dazed.
They followed up that
result by getting revenge
over Zebre with consecutive
wins against their rivals
before a home win against
Connacht in Round 4
strengthened their grip on top
spot as they maintained their
status as the competition’s
unlikely pacesetters.
The cancellation of their
concluding match against
the Ospreys in Bridgend
confirmed their place
in the final but few
would argue Benetton’s
turnaround over recent
weeks does not merit
a shot at the title.
To be involved in this
kind of occasion
has been a long
time coming
for Benetton –
and Italian
rugby in
general.
Having arrived in the Celtic
League - as it was then
known - alongside Aironi in
2010, a solitary play-off
appearance has been the best
they have to show for their
efforts, losing to Munster in
the quarter-finals in 2019.
However, inspired by
the performances of the likes
of Toa Halafihi, Monty Ioane
(above) and Paolo Garbisi,
Benetton have been
playing with a confidence
that seemed out of reach
after their winless PRO14
campaign.
Coach Crowley will move
on to take charge of Italy
at the end of the season - a
job that will see him attempt
to breathe new life into a
down-on-its-luck side. The
past couple of months
have shown Crowley to
be perfectly capable of
doing just that.
Capping Benetton’s fairytale
run to the final with a piece
of silverware would be some
way to sign off.
PRO14 RAINBOW CUP FINAL 2021 15

Ruan Nortje of the Vodacom
Bulls powers into a wall of
defenders to score against
the DHL Stormers in R5 of
Rainbow Cup SA.

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TEAM PROFILE
VODACOM
BULLS
The Vodacom Bulls have
an opportunity to send a
warning shot on behalf of
South African rugby when
they head north to take on
Benetton in the Guinness
PRO14 Rainbow Cup final.
Though the competition has
not been able to play out as
originally conceived due to
logistical hurdles created by
the coronavirus pandemic,
Saturday will finally see a
PRO14 outfit pitted against
the best South Africa has
to offer.
With the Bulls – along with
the DHL Stormers, Cell C
Sharks and Emirates Lions
– joining the league fulltime
from next season, all
eyes will be on Treviso this
weekend to see how the two
sides measure up against
each other.
The men from Pretoria will
head to Italy as favourites –
they are three-time Super
Rugby champions
and the only South
African outfit to have
claimed that crown.
The Bulls also won
last year’s Super
Rugby Unlocked
competition.
They take on
a Benetton
side who
emerged
as unlikely
contenders
for the final
following
a regular
season in
which they failed to win a
single match.
The Bulls - coached by the
Springboks’ victorious 2007
World Cup mastermind Jake
White - fell just short of a 100
per cent winning record in the
PRO14 Rainbow Cup SA.
A home win against the Lions
was followed by victory on
the road at the Stormers.
Closest challengers the
Sharks were up next and
a thumping 43-9 triumph
at Loftus Versfeld sent a
message that the Bulls would
take some stopping.
A one-point defeat to the
Lions in Round 4 proved
only a momentary blip and
subsequent wins against
the Stormers and the
Sharks clinched their ticket
to Treviso.
One of the keys to the Bulls’
Rainbow Cup performance
has been the consistent
kicking of Morne Steyn, the
36-year-old fly-half whose
form has earned him a
recall to the South Africa
squad having last played
for the Springboks in
October 2016.
Steyn has split
the posts with 22
of 26 attempts
during the
Rainbow Cup
and is the
South African
section’s top
points scorer.
The Bulls lost
captain Duane
Vermeulen (above) – another
of the team’s four Springboks
for the forthcoming British
and Irish Lions series – to
injury early in their Round 5
victory over the Stormers but
Marcell Coetzee, who made
his debut for the side in that
match, has stepped capably
into Vermeulen’s boots.
Coetzee is, of course, a
familiar face to PRO14 fans,
having starred for Ulster from
2016 until earlier this year and
ended the 2020-21 regular
season as joint top try scorer.
Steyn and Coetzee are
just two examples of the
experience and quality the
Bulls possess in spades.
They will be a match for any
side when the expanded
competition gets under way
next season and Saturday’s
final represents their first
chance to lay down a marker.
As Sharks coach Sean Everitt
said to White following their
Round 6 clash, “Go win it for
South Africa”.
PRO14 RAINBOW CUP FINAL 2021 19

BENETTON
RUGBY
15
14
13
JAYDEN
HAYWARD
EDOARDO
PADOVANI
IGNACIO
BREX
MATCH OFFICIALS
12
11
10
REFEREE: FRANK MURPHY (IRFU)
AR1: ANDREW BRACE(IRFU)
AR2: EOGHAN CROSS (IRFU)
TMO: BRIAN MACNEICE (IRFU)
MARCO
ZANON
MONTY
IOANE
PAOLO
GARBISI
TEAMS CORRECT AT TIME OF PUBLICATION.
09
01
02
DEWALDT
DUVENAGE ©
THOMAS
GALLO
CORNIEL
ELS
REPLACEMENTS
03
04
05
16 GIANMARCO LUCCHESI
17 IVAN NEMER
18 FILIPPO ALONGI
19 IRNÉ HERBST
20 MANUEL ZULIANI
21 MARCO BARBINI
22 CALLUM BRALEY
23 RATUVA TAVUYARA
MARCO
RICCIONI
SEBASTIAN
NEGRI
06
NICCOLÒ
CANNONE
MICHELE
LAMARO
07
FEDERICO
RUZZA
TOA
HALAFIHI
08
20 PRO14 RAINBOW CUP FINAL 2021

VODACOM
BULLS
15
14
13
DAVID
KRIEL
MADOSH
TAMBWE
MARCO
JV VUUREN
12
11
10
CORNAL
HENRICKS
STRAVINO
JACOBS
CHRIS
SMITH
09
01
02
IVAN VAN
ZYL
GERHARD
STEENEKAMP
JOHAN
GROBELAAR
03
04
05
REPLACEMENTS
MORNAY
SMITH
NIZAAM
CARR
06
WALKT
STEENKAMP
RUAN
NORTJE
07
JAN
UYS
MARCELL
COETZEE ©
08
16 SCHALK ERASMUS
17 JACQUES VAN ROOYEN
18 LIZO GQOBOKA
19 JANCO SWANEPOEL
20 MULLER UYS
21 ZACK BURGER
22 CLINTON SWART
23 GLO APLON
PRO14 RAINBOW CUP FINAL 2021 21