R2 Programme Notes from PRO14 Rugby CEO Martin Anayi

Now that was a terrific return to action for the Guinness PRO14 with some breathless play across five countries last weekend setting a serious pace for Round 2!

The Championship couldn’t have kicked off in better style with the Toyota Cheetahs putting on a display of free-flowing rugby that Glasgow Warriors attempted bravely to repel. Rhyno Smith was electric for the Free State and as the open up the season with three home games they look like the early pace-setters as they eye a return to the Guinness PRO14 Final Series.

It was also great to see new talent emerge with 35 players making their debuts in the Championship last weekend. Warriors may have left Bloemfontein empty-handed but they have a gem in their ranks with 18-year-old scrum-half Jamie Dobie who didn’t look out of place in his first senior outing.

Another teenager also made a memory to cherish. Federico Mori came off the bench to score on his debut for Zebre against Edinburgh and at nearly 105kgs we’ll hopefully see him busting through a few more defences as the season goes on.

This is the type of ‘Next-Gen’ talent who will become the stars of the 2023 Rugby World Cup with many players making their bow over the next few weeks that will rise to become household names.

Across the 2011 and 2015 Rugby World Cups close to 60 players appeared for the very first time in our Championship and who have gone on to become key international players – names like Hamish Watson, Carlo Canna, Garry Ringrose, Tadhg Beirne, Sam Johnson and Owen Watkin. Even a key figure in England’s current squad, Sam Underhill, first came to prominence in our tournament.

It is great to know the Guinness PRO14 is a rich part of the fabric out in Japan this year. We’ve got 116 players from the Championship at the World Cup representing 10 countries – Canada, Fiji, Ireland, Italy, Namibia, Scotland, Tonga, USA, Wales & Samoa.

A hearty congratulations to Warren Gatland and his players on Wales’ victory over Australia, too. Since last November, Wales, Ireland & Scotland have combined for eight wins out of nine Tests against the Southern-Hemisphere’s best. The majority of players from those teams earn their place by competing in the Guinness PRO14 and it is great to see that form carry through to the highest level.

Across the summer lots of hard work has gone on to keep raising the standards of the Guinness PRO14 and our Elite Referee Manager, Greg Garner, has been busier than most. For the next five rounds every refereeing appointment is neutral as Greg has made sure that neutrality, capability and experience combine to put our best foot forward.

This weekend we’ll have over 250 appearances worth of experience shared across our seven referees, five of whom have held the whistle at international level. We have invested right across the tournament, too, thanks to sponsors like Guinness, Big Red Cloud and Ronseal, and our suppliers Gilbert and Macron who all play fantastic roles in supporting our Championship.

Don’t forget, this season’s Guinness PRO14 Final takes place at Cardiff City Stadium on June 20. The competition to wrestle the trophy away from Leinster looks more competitive than ever but your journey to Cardiff City Stadium doesn’t even require you to make a tackle. Last year saw yet another record attendance at the Guinness PRO14 Final, but with limited availability in 2020 be sure to visit www.pro14rugby.org/final to take advantage of early bird prices and get the best seats before they’re gone!

Enjoy the games,

Martin