Benetton

History of Benetton Rugby

Since its foundation in 1932, the Benetton rugby team has enjoyed continued success. In rugby's amateur era, the team won five Italian national championships and the Coppa Italia. 

The Benetton rugby team then became even more dominant in the professional era of Italian rugby. After turning professional, they dominated the Italian league from 1997-2010. During this period, they won the championship on 10 occasions and finished second twice. They also won the Coppa Italia three times and the Supercoppa d'Italia twice.

Following the 2010 season, Benetton Rugby Club left the Italian domestic competition and joined the Celtic League to play against clubs from Ireland, Wales and Scotland. At the time, this competition was known as the Pro12. Today, it’s known as the United Rugby Championship.

To begin with, Benetton Rugby struggled against the stronger sides and they finished 11th, 11th and 12th in consecutive seasons from 2013. However, in the 2018-19 season, they recorded their best ever finish in the competition, when they reached the quarter-final stage. They followed this up in 2021 by winning the Pro14 Rainbow Cup, an end-of-season competition that was played before four new South African sides joined the newly-created United Rugby Championship.

Since the formation of the European Rugby Champions Cup and the EPCR Challenge Cup, Benetton Rugby Club have regularly appeared in both competitions. However, they're yet to get past the round of 16 in the European Rugby Champions Cup and have been eliminated twice at the semi-final stage of the EPCR Challenge Cup.

Due to the sustained success of the Benetton rugby team, the club has a reputation for providing top talent for the Italian national team. For example, over the years, both Alessandro Zanni and Leonardo Ghiraldini became established Italian internationals while playing for Benetton Rugby. 

However, although the Benetton rugby team have produced a number of home-grown stars over the years, several notable former international players have also represented the club, including Rugby World Cup winners Craig Green, John Kirwan and Michael Lynagh.

Could this be the year that the Benetton rugby team finally wins their first United Rugby Championship title? Follow all of the action with RugbyPass.