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.