Rainbow Cup given green light by organisers

The PRO14 Rainbow Cup is set to kick-off on the weekend of April 24, with the Irish provinces scheduled for three weekends of derby action, organisers revealed on Friday.

Hailed as a new tournament to welcome the four South African “Super” franchises into the European rugby family, the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic means there will be no cross-border competition, let alone cross-hemisphere fixtures for the opening weeks with Leinster set to welcome Munster back to Dublin on the first weekend, four weeks on from this Saturday’s Guinness PRO14 final at the RDS and Ulster hosting Connacht.