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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Gianmarco Lucchesi who would emerge<br />
with the ball. Smith’s conversion was<br />
pushed wide of the far post, but the home<br />
crowd were roaring their approval.<br />
Horne would cut the deficit with the<br />
final kick of the half, after a series<br />
of thunderous ball-carries inside the<br />
<strong>Benetton</strong> 22, leaving the gap at 13-6 at<br />
half-time.<br />
The home side were straight out of the<br />
blocks at the start of the second half and<br />
were rewarded for their endeavour with<br />
their third try of the night just two minutes<br />
into the second 40.<br />
A set move from a lineout saw <strong>Benetton</strong><br />
work the blindside to set Ignacio Mendy<br />
free on the wing, the Argentina 7s star<br />
sprinting away before stepping inside<br />
the cover defence for the score. Smith’s<br />
conversion made it a two-score game,<br />
before extending the lead with a penalty<br />
to make it 23-6 after 46 minutes.<br />
<strong>Benetton</strong> were enjoying the lion’s share<br />
of possession and territory, a monopoly<br />
that Smith took full advantage of with his<br />
third successful penalty of the evening on<br />
56 minutes.<br />
The Warriors needed a response, and<br />
with the coaching team rolling out the<br />
replacements, momentum began to shift.<br />
From a penalty, Glasgow went to the<br />
corner and while the Glasgow maul was<br />
initially stopped short, Ali Price found<br />
Zander Fagerson on the short ball and<br />
the tight-head proved far too powerful<br />
for the covering defence, crashing over<br />
for the score to bring Glasgow back into<br />
proceedings.<br />
With the wind in their sails, Franco<br />
Smith’s men began to play from deep<br />
and a second try felt like it was coming,<br />
and no-one came closer than Sebastian<br />
Cancelliere with seven minutes to play.<br />
A Rory Darge turnover saw the winger<br />
thump the ball downfield and win the<br />
foot race, only for the ball to trickle<br />
agonisingly over the dead-ball line before<br />
it could be grounded.<br />
Instead, the final word would belong to<br />
<strong>Benetton</strong>. The breakdown of a Glasgow<br />
attack on halfway saw Mendy get a boot<br />
to the ball first, with the winger winning<br />
his own race to regather and touch<br />
down. Smith’s conversion took the final<br />
score to 33-11, much to the delight of the<br />
home supporters.<br />
A great start to the BKT URC season for<br />
<strong>Benetton</strong> <strong>Rugby</strong> and just the start they<br />
would have wanted too with a trip to<br />
Dublin and the RDS Arena next up.<br />
<strong>Benetton</strong>: (13) 33<br />
Tries: Padovani, Lucchesi, Mendy 2<br />
Cons: Smith 2 Penalties: Smith 3<br />
Glasgow Warriors: (6) 11<br />
Try: Z Fagerson<br />
Penalties: Horne 2<br />
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