Leinster Rugby vs Benetton Rugby
Leinster | Official Matchday Programme of Leinster Rugby | Issue 01 Leinster Rugby vs Benetton Rugby | United Rugby Championship Friday 23rd September, 2022 | KO 7.35pm | RDS Arena
Leinster | Official Matchday Programme of Leinster Rugby | Issue 01
Leinster Rugby vs Benetton Rugby | United Rugby Championship
Friday 23rd September, 2022 | KO 7.35pm | RDS Arena
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COUNTRY ITALY HOME GROUND STADIO COMUNALE DI MONIGO FOUNDED 1932<br />
benetton<br />
last time out<br />
rugby<br />
benetton rugby 33<br />
glasgow warriors 11<br />
FRI 16 SEP 17:30 | STADIO MONIGO | URC<br />
<strong>Benetton</strong> <strong>Rugby</strong><br />
won their<br />
opening match<br />
of their 2022/23<br />
BKT United <strong>Rugby</strong><br />
Championship<br />
campaign in<br />
Treviso against<br />
Glasgow<br />
Warriors,<br />
playing for the<br />
first time under<br />
new head coach,<br />
Franco Smith.<br />
The home side ran<br />
in four tries to<br />
claim a deserved<br />
33-11 victory.<br />
images: inpho.ie<br />
74 | www.leinsterrugby.ie<br />
Zander Fagerson’s second-half<br />
try was not enough to spark a<br />
fightback in northern Italy for<br />
the Warriors, as the home side<br />
claimed a bonus-point win to<br />
claim the full set of spoils under<br />
the floodlights.<br />
With the Stadio Comunale di Monigo<br />
in fine voice at the outset of a new<br />
campaign, the opening exchanges were<br />
dominated by the boot. Tom Jordan<br />
showed some early nice touches with the<br />
boot for the visitors but it would be the<br />
home side who would trouble the scorers<br />
first, with Rhyno Smith making no mistake<br />
from the tee with 12 minutes played after<br />
the Warriors were penalised for offside<br />
at a lineout on their own 22.<br />
It would be a lead that would last all<br />
of three minutes, as the Warriors hit<br />
straight back. When the home side were<br />
penalised for not rolling away, it would<br />
be George Horne who would take<br />
advantage, knocking over the kick to<br />
level the scores at 3-3.<br />
Neither side were really able to establish<br />
a rhythm as the opening quarter drew to<br />
a close, with errors and the concession<br />
of penalties putting paid to the attacks<br />
of both teams. Yet the first try of the<br />
match – and indeed of the URC season<br />
– would go to <strong>Benetton</strong>; a counter-attack<br />
from turnover ball saw the Italian side<br />
set up camp in the Glasgow 22, before<br />
Giacomo da Re’s floated pass over the<br />
top gave Eduardo Padovani a run-in to<br />
the corner. The conversion drifted wide,<br />
but <strong>Benetton</strong> led 8-3 after 22 minutes.<br />
<strong>Benetton</strong> were beginning to earn the<br />
upper hand at the scrum, something<br />
that would prove to be the catalyst for<br />
their second try of the evening. Penalties<br />
at successive scrums saw da Re direct<br />
his team into the corner, and when<br />
the lineout drive came on it would be