Benetton 20-24 Glasgow Warriors

Tries from Euan Ferrie, Kyle Steyn, Rory Darge and Jare Oguntibeju sealed all five points for Franco Smith’s men, who return home to Glasgow with a win from the Stadio Comunale di Monigo for the first time since 2024.

The early exchanges were even in nature, as both sides looked for an early foothold in the northern Italian sunshine. Matthew Urwin was pulling the strings effectively at fly-half, whilst Scott Cummings was prominent at the set-piece with two lineout steals inside the opening quarter.

Benetton in response needed no second invitation to press for an opening when presented with their first venture into the Glasgow 22, the home side’s pack looking to strike. Strong work at the breakdown from Ferrie snuffed out Benetton’s momentum, however, leaving the score deadlocked as the half-hour mark approached.

The first clear-cut chance of the match went the way of the Warriors, only for Sione Tuipulotu’s pass to drift forward as he looked to put Steyn over in the corner. Instead, the first try of the afternoon went to the home side; Jacob Umaga’s delayed pass sent Federico Zanandrea through a gap, the young centre sprinting clear from halfway to dive over in the corner. Umaga converted, and the hosts had a 7-0 lead.

Defences were firmly on top as the opening half drew to a close, and whilst the Glasgow pack came close to restoring parity with a close-range lineout drive, it was Umaga who had the final word of the first 40 minutes. The fly-half made no mistake with a penalty from in front of the posts, giving his side a 10-0 lead at the interval.

Benetton’s joys would increase just moments after the restart, as the Italian outfit extended their lead two minutes into the second stanza. Louis Lynagh spotted the opportunity to pick off an interception on the Glasgow 10-metre line, sprinting home unopposed for a try that – allied to Umaga’s conversion – made it a 17-0 lead for the hosts.

With Mattia Midena sent to the sin-bin for a no-arms tackle on Zander Fagerson, though, momentum would shift the way of the Warriors on 48 minutes. It took Glasgow all of 90 seconds to make their advantage count, and they did so in familiar fashion. A 12-man rolling maul proved too powerful for the Benetton defence to halt, Ferrie the man smuggled over for the score. Urwin converted for his first points in professional rugby, narrowing the gap to 10 points.

It would get even better for the Warriors five minutes later, making full use of their time in possession and in Benetton territory. Turnover ball in midfield saw Glasgow whip it wide to Ollie Smith, the winger stopped five metres short. Good patience from the pack then provided the overlap on the other wing for Steyn, the captain diving over in the corner for a score that moves him into the club’s top five all-time try-scorers. The conversion drifted wide, but the Warriors were in the hunt.

Straight from the restart, the visitors struck once more. A sublime pass from urwin saw the fly-half feed Steyn, the winger accelerating through the gears and making fully 60 metres with ball in hand. Once more, patience in the Benetton 22 yielded dividends, the ball eventually finding its way to Darge. The flanker’s footwork and strength saw him power his way over, tying the game at 17-17 with the final quarter approaching.

The Glasgow replacements wasted no time in making themselves known, one seismic hit from Bayley Kuenzle setting the tone with the centre’s first involvement after coming on. Yet neither side could trouble the scorers again until 12 minutes from time, a 45-metre penalty from Umaga restoring Benetton’s lead.

Then came Ogutnibeju’s intervention, arriving at the most opportune moment from a Glasgow perspective. Wave upon wave of pressure yards from the Benetton try-line eventually told, the second-rower finishing superbly for the crucial score. Kuenzle utilised every second of his permitted 60 before thumping the ball through the uprights, and one scrum allowed Callum Reidy to boot the ball into the stands to secure a hard-earned victory to the delight of the travelling Warrior Nation.

A first win in Treviso since 2024 for the Warriors – now all eyes turn back to Scotstoun in just six days’ time, as the men in black close out their opening block of fixtures by welcoming the 10bet Lions to Glasgow under the Friday night lights.