Benetton Rugby United Rugby Championship Poor start to Franco Smith's Glasgow rebuild
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Glasgow’s rebuild under new head coach Franco Smith got off to a rocky start as they suffered a 33-11 defeat at Benetton.
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Benetton Rugby
Benetton Rugby ![Benetton Rugby]()
The Benetton Rugby team are the pride of Treviso and juggernauts of Italian rugby. The team was founded back in 1932 and, in their long and illustrious history, they’ve captured a whopping 15 Italian national championships. Since 2010, they’ve competed in the PRO14 championship and have represented Italy in the Heineken Champions Cup and the European Rugby Challenge Cup.
Since 1979, the Benetton Rugby team have been owned by the clothing company Benetton. This is how the team gained their name. However, some rugby fans still refer to the team as Treviso.
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Franco Smith names 3 debutants in Glasgow side to face Benetton
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The Benetton Rugby team are the pride of Treviso and juggernauts of Italian rugby. The team was founded back in 1932 and, in their long and illustrious history, they’ve captured a whopping 15 Italian national championships. Since 2010, they’ve competed in the PRO14 championship and have represented Italy in the Heineken Champions Cup and the European Rugby Challenge Cup.
Since 1979, the Benetton Rugby team have been owned by the clothing company Benetton. This is how the team gained their name. However, some rugby fans still refer to the team as Treviso.
Fixtures & Results
Tournaments
The History of Benetton Rugby
Since its foundation in 1932, the Benetton Rugby team have enjoyed continued success. In rugby’s amateur era, the team won five Italian national championships and the Coppa Italia.
However, the Benetton Rugby team became even more dominant in the professional era of Italian rugby. After turning professional in 1995, 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 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. However, since the 2017-18 season, it has been known as the PRO14 and the sides have been joined by two South African teams.
To begin with, Benetton Rugby struggled against the stronger competition and they finished 11th, 11th and 12th in consecutive seasons from 2013. However, the team’s fortunes changed in the 2016/17 season when a new coach was appointed. In the 2018-19 season, they recorded their best ever finish in the competition, when they reached the quarter-final stage.
Since the formation of the Heineken Champions Cup and the European Rugby Challenge Cup, Benetton Rugby have regularly appeared in both competitions. However, they’re yet to get past the second round in either tournament.
Players
Forwards
Federico Ruzza Lock 
Federico Zani Hooker 
Giacomo Nicotera Hooker 
Gianmarco Lucchesi 
Giovanni Pettinelli Openside Flanker 
Ivan Nemer Loosehead Prop 
Manuel Zuliani Number 8 
Michele Lamaro Openside Flanker 
Niccolo Cannone Lock 4 
Scott Scrafton Lock 
Simone Ferrari Prop 
Tiziano Pasquali Tight head prop Backs
The Benetton Rugby Squad
Due to the sustained success of the Benetton Rugby team, the club have 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.
At present, the Benetton Rugby team has a decidedly Italian feel and established Italian internationals such as prop Simone Ferrari, flanker Braam Steyn and centre Tommaso Benvenuti all currently play for both Benetton and Italy.
Read on to discover more about Benetton Rugby. On this page you’ll find all of the latest Benetton Rugby news as well as the team’s upcoming fixtures and latest results.
