Sam Warburton: Former Wales captain labels Pro14 Rainbow Cup 'mishmash competition'
- Published
Pro14 Rainbow Cup: Health reasons 'must come first'
Former Wales captain Sam Warburton has labelled the Pro14 Rainbow Cup a "mishmash competition".
The competition will now be split into two tournaments after South African sides were denied travel to Europe.
One will be held among the 12 teams in Wales, Italy, Ireland and Scotland, while Bulls, Sharks, Stormers and Lions will contest the South African version.
The tournament in Europe starts this weekend, consisting mostly of derby games within nations.
"I could not say this as a player but I think the whole Pro14 Rainbow Cup has turned into a mishmash competition," said Warburton.
"The Pro14 is changing every year and almost shamelessly going wherever the money is at and not where the best quality of product is going to be."
The initial Rainbow Cup competition was meant to feature the existing 12 clubs in addition to the new four South African former Super Rugby sides, which will enter the competition permanently from the 2021-22 season.
Leinster were last month crowned Pro14 champions in a curtailed 2020-21 campaign, after a decision was made in December 2020 to shorten the season to create the new Rainbow Cup.
It was viewed as a way to generate revenue for the game ahead of the new South African sides joining the league next season and provide the Springboks players with competitive action ahead of the British and Irish Lions' arrival.
The new tournament was scheduled to start on 23 April and continue through to a final on 19 June.
The Bulls, Sharks, Stormers and Lions were set to stay in a bubble for the second half of the tournament and fly to Europe for games.
This has been scuppered after Pro14 bosses admitted no formal approvals were in place to allow the South African teams to enter the United Kingdom and Republic of Ireland because of Covid-19 concerns.
Continued expansion
The Welsh/Scottish League was created in 1999, which became the Celtic League when joined by Irish sides.
Two Italian teams joined in 2010 to increase the number from 10 to 12 with the Pro12 name adopted in 2011. A pair of South African sides, Cheetahs and Southern Kings, joined in 2017 to take it to a Pro14.
The latest expansion will see those two South African sides replaced by the four big franchises for 16 teams in the 2021-22 campaign.
Ospreys captain Justin Tipuric reflects on new rule added for Rainbow Cup
Warburton captained Wales a record 49 times and led the British and Irish Lions on the tours of Australia in 2013 and New Zealand four years later.
After playing for Cardiff Blues in the Pro12, Warburton believes ideally there should be a return to a Celtic competition.
"I think you need to keep your domestic leagues," added Warburton.
"Ideally I would have it as just a a Celtic league and the Italian sides going into the French league. It would be much better for them logistically and I think they would agree with that as well and keep it to how it used to be.
"The ideal situation would be a British and Irish League but the brutal fact is England don't need the Celtic teams.
"Personally I would rather watch Irish teams play each other, Welsh teams play each other etc and I feel they would be better games to be honest."