No disrespect intended towards Benetton Treviso, but it’s a pity the Bulls won’t be playing one of the more established leading lights of European rugby such as Munster or Leinster in Saturday’s Rainbow Cup final in Italy.

The past couple of weeks have been a bit of a low-key first foray into what will become the Pro16 era, to replace the two-and-a-half decades of Super Rugby, for SA rugby. The quality of rugby produced in Rainbow Cup SA was good, and the matches both exciting and entertaining, but when the Bulls played the Sharks in Durban in the final game it was the seventh time the two teams have met since local rugby’s return from lockdown last October...