'Fooled us into thinking SA Rugby is better': Benetton's dominant Rainbow Cup win a big reality check for SA teams in Europe

The South African champion Bulls have been outclassed 35-8 by Italian club Benetton in the final of the Rainbow Cup in Treviso in a shock upset that has stunned the rugby world.

The Italians struck early in just five minutes after a wide attack before building a 20-8 lead by halftime. Benetton continued to pile on points in the second, stretching the lead to 30-8 after a try to Lamaro and a penalty goal. Another try added more misery for the Bulls, who had two late tries disallowed.

The final was the first match for a South African club against an international club since the abrupt end of the 2020 Super Rugby competition. The result shocked South African rugby fans and European fans alike, with few expecting the Italian club to win let alone put a massive score on the Bulls.

Before the Rainbow Cup, Benetton completed a winless 16-game season in the Pro14, where the Bulls, Stormers, Lions and Sharks will now compete in the United Rugby Championship.

Concerned about ramifications for the new competition, one fan wrote he ‘slightly worried that these South African sides may not actually strengthen the league as much as we thought’. Another commented that the Bulls were ‘too easy to defend, too predictable and dull’.

An Irish fan wrote that the Bulls ‘were lucky they weren’t playing Leinster or this would be a cricket score’.

Another South African commented ‘if that’s a preview of what’s to come with the British & Irish Lions, we are screwed’. Another felt that ‘international competition is needed’ after the pandemic has ‘fooled us’ into thinking SA Rugby is better than it is.

Few things make me happier than the Bulls getting absolutely hosed but now slightly worried that these South African sides may not actually strengthen the league as much as we thought. #BENvBUL

— Karl Brophy (@KarlBrophy) June 19, 2021

Congrats on Bennetton on playing a great game 38-8. Bennetton totally dominated the Bulls and the Bulls just gave them the game. So many handling errors and miscommunication. Don't know what their gameplan was and if they even had a gamplan.#BENvBUL

— Kevin For Real (@KevinForReal4) June 19, 2021

This is sad and disappointing. If this is a preview of whats to come with the British and Irish Lions we are screwed. #BENvBUL

— Leydene ? (@Leydene_) June 19, 2021

Rugby is played by 15 guys for a reason. Bulls game is so easy to defend, too predictable and dull #BENvBUL

— Sibo Maputi (@SiboMaputi) June 19, 2021

https://twitter.com/TonyMfariwapiki/status/1406310520941129731

Not to be alarmist, but this result felt like mini isolation. Covid-19 fooled us into thinking SA rugby is currently better than it probably is… International competition desperately needed. #BENvBUL

— Heinz Schenk (@sportmal) June 19, 2021

Huge congrats to Benetton

Not given much of a chance (at least from SA pundits) they proved us wrong.

Absolutely fantastic and near-flawless from the first minute.

A dream final and performance in front of their fans. #BENvBUL

— Dylan Jack (@dylmjack) June 19, 2021

Unbelievable result for Benetton! Don’t understand the bulls always kicking the ball away at points their running rugby looked to be getting somewhere. However endless tough defensive from Benetton showed by the amount of knock ons in the tackle by the bulls! #BenVBul

— Philip Patterson ? (@patterson1990) June 19, 2021

The Bulls are lucky they aren’t playing Leinster or this would have been a cricket score.

Maybe the only way to make the Pro14 more balanced is if Leinster play test sides while other teams just play each other? #BENvBUL #GuinnessPRO14RainbowCup #GuinnessPRO14RainbowCupFinal

— Deluded Rugby Fan (@deludedrugbyfan) June 19, 2021

The Bulls really flew all the way to Italy to score one try? #BENvBUL

— Ofentse (@OfentseLehong) June 19, 2021

Benetton game plan was very simple:

Avoid Line-Outs – don’t kick the ball out

Bulls don’t have any other ideas from trying to get Penalties from driving mauls.

Quite predictable #BENvBUL #RainbowCup

— Scoop ? ?? (@Rugby_Scoop) June 19, 2021

The majority of this Bulls side would benefit from another year or two at Varsity Cup level. #BenVBul #GuinnessPRO14RainbowCupFinal @BlueBullsRugby

— Ruan (@ruanvj) June 19, 2021

The South African style of playing for penalties and working for driving mauls came completely unstuck against the high-tempo Italian team.

How the South African teams will fare against the rest of the Pro14 teams is now in question, particularly with differing styles of sides likes powerhouse Leinster who play a high possession attacking game.

During Super Rugby Unlocked last season, former Springbok coach Nick Mallett and Lions head coach Swys de Bruin were heavily critical of the state of the domestic game.

“It’s difficult not to be a little bit negative on the performances of our teams quite frankly,’ Mallett said on a post-game SuperSport show.

“If you compare it with the way New Zealand cracked in with their Aotearoa competition, with teams really embracing the quick-ruck ball and ball-in-hand style they were reasonably high-scoring games, but the defences were excellent and their attacks were great.

“It was rugby that was worth watching.”

Former Springbok assistant De Bruin agreed, deriding how predictable the game was with scrum reset after reset.

“It’s almost like a storybook now… I can see there’s a scrum that will reset and reset again, then the advantage will come, then the next chapter is the penalty,” he said.

“From there the maul starts. Before the maul there is a little meeting with forwards that eats up more time.”