| Preparation Series | |
|---|---|
| Countries | South Africa |
| Date | 26 February 2021 – 28 March 2021 |
| Matches played | 16 |
| Attendance | 0 (average 0 per match) |
| Top point scorer | Kade Wolhuter (Stormers, 47) |
| Top try scorer | HJ Luus (Griquas) & Joe van Zyl (Bulls) (both 4) |
| South African Rugby 2021 |
|---|
The Preparation Series was a South African rugby union tournament organised by SA Rugby. The tournament was used to be a number of preparation fixtures were announced by SA Rugby.[1] It served as preparation for the 2021 British & Irish Lions tour to South Africa and South African teams entering the Pro14 Rainbow Cup, who had missed out on significant rugby game time due to the COVID-19 pandemic. 8 sides took part in the competition; the four joining the Pro14 Rainbow Cup (the Bulls, the Lions, the Sharks and the Stormers), along with the Cheetahs, Griquas and Pumas, who had taken part in Super Rugby Unlocked and the 2020–21 Currie Cup Premier Division, and the Eastern Province Elephants who had not played any competitive rugby since the 2019 Currie Cup First Division.[2]
Although there was no trophy for this tournament, the Bulls ended up in top spot in Pool A and the Sharks topped in pool B.[3]
Regular season
Format
The eight teams have been split into two groups and will play cross-pool matches. Each team played four matches. Two at home and two away. The tournament spanned from Friday, 26 February until Sunday, 28 March.[1]
Standings
Pool A
| |||||||||||||||
| Team | Played | Won | Drawn | Lost | Points For | Points Against | Points Difference | Tries For | Tries Against | Bonus Points | Points | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Bulls | 4 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 181 | 115 | +66 | 26 | 14 | 3 | 15 | |||
| 2 | Cheetahs | 4 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 159 | 105 | +54 | 20 | 12 | 2 | 14 | |||
| 3 | Lions | 4 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 141 | 136 | +5 | 18 | 18 | 1 | 13 | |||
| 4 | Griquas | 4 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 108 | 195 | +13 | 13 | 13 | 2 | 10 | |||
Pool B
| |||||||||||||||
| Team | Played | Won | Drawn | Lost | Points For | Points Against | Points Difference | Tries For | Tries Against | Bonus Points | Points | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sharks | 4 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 158 | 104 | +54 | 24 | 14 | 4 | 12 | |||
| 2 | Stormers | 4 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 144 | 112 | +32 | 15 | 15 | 3 | 11 | |||
| 3 | Pumas | 4 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 103 | 118 | −15 | 11 | 10 | 2 | 6 | |||
| 4 | Eastern Province Elephants | 4 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 46 | 255 | −209 | 7 | 38 | 0 | 0 | |||
Matches
Round 1
| 26 February 2021 | Lions | 32–28 | Pumas | Emirates Airline Park, Johannesburg | ||
| 19:00 | Summary | Attendance: Behind closed doors Referee: Jaco Peyper |
| 27 February 2021 | Stormers | 33–34 | Cheetahs | Cape Town Stadium, Cape Town | ||
| 17:15 | Summary | Attendance: Behind closed doors Referee: Rasta Rasivhenge |
| 28 February 2021 | Bulls | 87–10 | Eastern Province Elephants | Loftus Versfeld, Pretoria | ||
| 15:00 | Summary | Attendance: Behind closed doors Referee: Stuart Berry |
| 28 February 2021 | Sharks | 35–10 | Griquas | Jonsson Kings Park, Durban | ||
| 17:15 | Summary | Attendance: Behind closed doors Referee: AJ Jacobs |
Round 2
| 9 March 2021 | Griquas | 32–38 | Stormers | Tafel Lager Park, Kimberley | ||
| 16:45 | Summary | Attendance: Behind closed doors Referee: Griffin Colby |
| 9 March 2021 | Pumas | 31–48 | Bulls | Mbombela Stadium, Mbombela | ||
| 19:00 | Summary | Attendance: Behind closed doors Referee: Rasta Rasivhenge |
| 10 March 2021 | Eastern Province Elephants | 24–54 | Lions | Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium, Port Elizabeth | ||
| 16:45 | Summary | Attendance: Behind closed doors Referee: AJ Jacobs |
| 10 March 2021 | Cheetahs | 39–38 | Sharks | Toyota Stadium, Bloemfontein | ||
| 19:00 | Summary | Attendance: Behind closed doors Referee: Marius van der Westhuizen |
Round 3
| 17 March 2021 | Eastern Province Elephants | 0–43 | Griquas | Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium, Port Elizabeth | ||
| 19:00 | Summary | Attendance: Behind closed doors Referee: Cwengile Jadezweni |
| 19 March 2021 | Pumas | 22–15 | Cheetahs | Mbombela Stadium, Mbombela | ||
| 16:45 | Summary | Attendance: Behind closed doors Referee: Stuart Berry |
| 19 March 2021 | Bulls | 34–29 | Stormers | Loftus Versfeld, Pretoria | ||
| 19:00 | Summary | Attendance: Behind closed doors Referee: AJ Jacobs |
| 20 March 2021 | Lions | 43–40 | Sharks | Emirates Airline Park, Johannesburg | ||
| 16:15 | Summary | Attendance: Behind closed doors Referee: Rasta Rasivhenge |
Round 4
| 26 March 2021 | Sharks | 45–12 | Bulls | Jonsson Kings Park, Durban | ||
| 19:00 | Summary | Attendance: Behind closed doors Referee: Marius van der Westhuizen |
| 27 March 2021 | Griquas | 23–22 | Pumas | Tafel Lager Park, Kimberley | ||
| 15:00 | Summary | Attendance: Behind closed doors Referee: Cwengile Jadezweni |
| 27 March 2021 | Stormers | 44–12 | Lions | Cape Town Stadium, Cape Town | ||
| 17:15 | Summary | Attendance: Behind closed doors Referee: AJ Jacobs |
| 28 March 2021 | Cheetahs | 71–12 | Eastern Province Elephants | Toyota Stadium, Bloemfontein | ||
| 15:00 | Summary | Attendance: Behind closed doors Referee: Rasta Rasivhenge |
Player statistics
| Top point scorers [4] | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No | Player | Team | Points | ||||
| 1 | Kade Wolhuter | Stormers | 47 | ||||
| 2 | Eddie Fouché | Pumas | 40 | ||||
| 3 | Chris Smith | Bulls | 38 | ||||
| Tiaan Swanepoel | Lions | ||||||
| 4 | François Steyn | Cheetahs | 31 | ||||
| 5 | Ruan Pienaar | Cheetahs | 26 | ||||
| Top try scorers [4] | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No | Player | Team | Tries | ||||
| 1 | HJ Luus | Griquas | 4 | ||||
| Joe van Zyl | Bulls | ||||||
| 2 | Wilmar Arnoldi | Cheetahs | 3 | ||||
| Rosko Specman | Cheetahs | ||||||
| Gideon van der Merwe | Griquas | ||||||
| Leolin Zas | Stormers | ||||||
See also
References
- 1 2 "Revised fixtures for preparation series". www.sarugbymag.co.za. Retrieved 8 October 2021.
- ↑ "EP Elephants join the fray as SA Rugby announces 'preparation series' for 2021 season". News24. 12 February 2021. Retrieved 8 October 2021.
- ↑ "Franchise Cup". www.ultimaterugby.com. Retrieved 8 October 2021.
- 1 2 "The 2021 Kick-off Pools". SA Rugby. Retrieved 9 October 2021.