Benetton 16-14 Glasgow Warriors

Tries from Jare Oguntibeju and Josh McKay were ultimately in vain for the Warriors, who leave northern Italy with a single bonus-point for their efforts.

The tempo of the match was set straight from the opening kick-off, Kyle Steyn’s pressure forcing a Glasgow lineout inside the Benetton 22. The hosts would ride out the first driving maul of the match, before Alessandro Garbisi’s scramble defence was enough to deny Kyle Rowe in his attempt to finish a Matt Fagerson line break with just five minutes played.

Still the Warriors continued to press in search of the opening score, Adam Hastings’s quickly-taken 22 setting Johnny Matthews clear into open prairie in midfield. Once more Benetton’s defence recovered in time to deny their visitors, but the attacking impetus was coming from those in black.

The breakthrough would come on 19 minutes, and it was just what Glasgow’s early attacking endeavour deserved. Steyn’s aerial skills and Macenzzie Duncan’s alertness allowed Alex Samuel to spin a 20-metre pass to Sione Tuipulotu, whose attempted offload was deliberately knocked on. From the resulting penalty the maul was stopped short, but with advantage in hand Oguntibeju was more than happy to oblige with the powerful final carry and dot down for the try. Hastings added the extras, and the Warriors led 7-0.

Jacob Umaga reduced the arrears with a penalty six minutes later, but the Warriors continued to press, and were rewarded with their second try of the night as the clock ticked up to the half-hour mark. Samuel’s soft hands in midfield saw McKay move swiftly through the gears, accelerating into open space and racing home from halfway untouched to dive under the posts. The conversion from Hastings was as simple as it could be, extending Glasgow’s lead to 14-3.

Franco Smith’s men almost made it a trio of first-half scores with just 90 seconds remaining before the break, as they continued to exert pressure on the Benetton defence. Once more Steyn’s prowess in the air saw the captain combine with Duncan, whose charge for the line saw him brought down a matter of inches out. The referee deemed the Warriors to transgress at the breakdown, however, and the half’s final scoring chance went astray.

With the home crowd urging their side on, it was Benetton who made the faster start to the second half. Yet despite repeated phases in the Glasgow 22, the visiting defensive wall held firm, a scrum penalty won by Fin Richardson relieving the pressure to the delight of the travelling Warrior Nation.

The home side eventually found their way through on 50 minutes, striking for their first try to re-establish a foothold in proceedings. Paolo Odogwu took full advantage of a slip in midfield, the winger sprinting through and drawing the last man before feeding Tommaso Menoncello for the score. Umaga converted, and Glasgow’s lead was back to just four points.

Even with replacements from both sides introduced as the second half continued, the tempo remained high from both sides. Steyn almost slipped the clutches of the Benetton defence following a Stafford McDowall cross-kick, whilst Gregor Brown was leading the charge in defence with a series of physical hits in the midfield.

With the tension ratcheting up in Treviso, the home crowd lifted their side once again as the game entered the closing 10 minutes. A second penalty from Umaga narrowed the deficit to a single point, the finest of margins set to decide the outcome of the tie.

To Glasgow’s dismay, the final word would belong to Benetton. Having defended manfully on their 22 for phase after phase of pressure, a penalty advantage gave Rhyno Smith the freedom to drop into the pocket and kick the winning drop-goal, to the delight of the home faithful. Heartbreak, but plenty of positives to boot – all eyes now turn to Scotstoun next Saturday, as Smith’s men welcome the Dragons to the home of the Warriors.