Benetton advance to Rainbow Cup Final

NEWS: PRO14 Rugby confirmed that the Round Six Pro14 Rainbow Cup fixture between Ospreys and Benetton due to take place this Saturday (June 12) has been cancelled due to positive Covid-19 cases in the Ospreys squad.

As a result of the cancellation, Benetton have qualified for the Rainbow Cup Final on June 19.

Following the latest round of Covid-19 testing at Ospreys, the club returned three positive results.

The decision to cancel the game is a result of the mandate from Public Health Wales that all individuals who were part of the travelling party from the previous fixture are now required to self-isolate in line with public health protocols.

With no available weekends remaining, the game will not be rescheduled. As a result, PRO14 rugby used the protocol decided prior to the 2020/21 season whereby a game that could not be rescheduled would result in that fixture deemed a 0-0 draw, but four match points would be awarded to the team who had not been the cause of the postponement.

In this case, Benetton will receive four match points. This protocol ensures that no artificial scoring points were added to the tries/points for and against columns.

Adding four points to Benetton’s current total of 18 will provide the Italian team with a final standing of 22 points. It is mathematically impossible for any other team in the table to win more than 20 points, therefore Benetton will be the ‘Northern’ representative in the PRO14 Rainbow Cup Final.

Benetton will face either the Bulls or the Sharks at Stadio di Monigo, which is the home of the Italian club.

The Bulls will face the Sharks in their final-round match in Durban on Saturday. The Bulls are on top of the Rainbow Cup SA standings with 20 points, while the Sharks are in second on 16 points.

With Jake White’s side having a vastly superior points difference, the Sharks will need a bonus-point win and deny the Bulls any bonus points in the process if they are to get on the plane to Italy.