Queensland Reds to return to Italy after 46 years for two-match tour

The Queensland Reds have announced their latest offseason tour, a two-match visit to Italy scheduled for late November.

The club will face an Italy XV side first up, then Benetton the week after, as part of a joint initiative with the URC club and the Italian Rugby Federation. The first game is expected to be played on the weekend commencing November 20.

Benetton’s home ground, Stadio Monigo, will host both contests in Treviso, with the tour coming 46 years after Queensland’s last visit to Italy.

The relationship between the two clubs was formalised last July, when Reds trio John Bryant, Louis Werchon and Richie Asiata were loaned to Benetton following the Super Rugby Pacific season. All three players earned playing time for the club.

“It’s terrific to be able to announce these matches in Treviso,” Sam Cordingley, the Queensland Reds General Manager, High Performance, said.

“The strength of rugby is the international flavour and we are really trying to lean into that as the QRU. We sent three excellent players over to Italy where they represented Benetton Rugby and the Reds.

“A strong point of the partnership is affording players and staff the chance to experience something different, where they’ll learn, not just in rugby but with a life perspective. The QRU would like to thank Benetton Rugby and the Italian Rugby Federation for helping to bring this opportunity to life.”

The Reds toured the UK in 2025, facing Bristol and Ulster, having faced Japan League One’s Saitama Wild Knights in 2024.