Benetton 19-38 Glasgow Warriors
Glasgow Warriors kicked off the New Year in the best possible fashion this afternoon, running in six tries to claim a 38-19 win over Benetton in Treviso.
A brace from George Horne and a sterling defensive shift spearheaded the Warriors effort, as Dave Rennie’s men made sure all five points would be coming home with them from northern Italy.
There would be no slow start to the new decade for the Warriors, as they took to their task with razor-sharp focus in the Italian sunshine. A near-monopoly on possession for the opening three minutes yielded a much-deserved reward; an outside arc from Nick Grigg allowed the centre to feed Kyle Steyn, with the Scotland 7s star racing up the touchline. Faced with the last defender, the winger had the simple task of feeding Sam Johnson for the game’s opening score. Pete Horne converted, and the Warriors led 7-0.
In defence, too, the Warriors were enjoying an early edge. Good line speed from the pack allowed the visitors to put their hosts under pressure, whilst the likes of Johnson and Tom Gordon showed their intent to compete at the breakdown from the outset.
It was from the breakdown that Glasgow’s second try arrived with 12 minutes on the clock. A penalty won by Johnson at the ruck allowed Pete Horne to take play into the Benetton 22, from where the Warriors set up an attacking maul. Whilst well-stopped by the home side, Steyn’s powerful line allowed him to get his hands free and offload to Pete Horne, who himself showed great determination to drive through the tackle and over the line. The fly-half was unable convert his own try, but Glasgow led 12-0.
Needing a foothold in the match, Benetton reverted to their strengths. Their first try of the afternoon came in familiar fashion, as hooker Hame Faiva was driven over from a five-metre maul. Allan hit the upright with the conversion attempt, but Benetton were in the game.
The game was now proceeding at frenetic pace – Ratuva Tavuyara and Federico Ruzza were looking to throw the ball around at any opportunity, whilst the Horne brothers and Johnson were a constant danger for the visitors.
It was the former Howe of Fife siblings that responsible for Glasgow’s third try of the half as the game approached the half-hour mark. A delayed pass from George Turner sent Horne the elder through a gap, before finding younger brother George on his shoulder for the score. The conversion was on target, taking the scoreline to 19-5 in favour of the visitors.
Yet it was Benetton that closed the half on the front foot, as they pressed for a response. Were it not for a resolute defensive effort from the Warriors, it would have arrived earlier than the 40th minute, as to a man the visiting defence held firm. As it was, it was left to Braam Steyn to close the half with the try from close-range, Allan converting to make it 19-12 at the interval.

If the first half saw Glasgow enjoy the lion’s share of possession, the second was the exact opposite as the Warriors defence was tested early. Faiva would have added to his own personal tally were it not for Pete Horne, the fly-half superbly holding the Benetton hooker up over the line.
A physical contest was now being played out between the 22s, with neither side willing to give an inch in a finely-balanced encounter. It was left to one of the youngest players on the field to provide the vital breakthrough on 56 minutes – after a turnover saw Tim Swinson and Rob Harley combine to keep the ball alive, Bruce Flockhart dismissed an attempted tackle and charged through the middle of the Benetton defence. The flanker had the presence of mind to feed George Horne on the supporting line, with the scrum-half pinning his ears back and diving over in the corner. Pete Horne converted superbly from the touchline, and Glasgow led 26-12.
Yet Benetton reminded those watching of the style that makes them contenders for the Guinness PRO14 Final Series, striking back with 15 minutes remaining. An excellent gather from Sebastian Negri allowed Tito Tebaldi to dart through a hole in the Glasgow ruck defence, before Antonio Rizzi was on hand to apply the finishing touch. Allan’s conversion meant the game was back to a single-score affair as the match entered the closing stages.
It was the visitors who ended the match on the front foot, however. After exerting phase after phase of pressure in Benetton territory, the crucial try eventually arrived. Nick Frisby and Gordon were both mere inches short of the whitewash, before the call came to go wide. Huw Jones’ floated 20 metre pass found the arms of Niko Matawalu and the Fijian finished with aplomb, stepping the final defender to touch down. Horne’s conversion attempt struck the post, but the result was secure.
There was to be a final flourish from Rennie’s men, as the clock entered the final two minutes. With Benetton searching for a fourth try of their own, they instead conceded a sixth. Grant Stewart’s offload could only find Tavuyara, but the Benetton man in turn saw his pass picked off by Andrew Davidson, with Horne converting the second-row’s first try for the club to round off the scoring and send the travelling Warriors supporters home with a smile on their faces.
live commentary 1:00 PM Saturday 4 Jan 2020
‘{{ time.substring(0, 2) }}
Half-time
Full-time
{{ event.type }}
Kick-off 1:00 PM
We're sorry, we're not able to retrieve this information at the moment, please try back later
Benetton
-
Antonio Rizzi
23. Replacement44metres made
25MINUTES PLAYED
6TACKLES MADE
5COMPLETE PASSES
-
Tito Tebaldi
22. Replacement13metres made
19MINUTES PLAYED
4TACKLES MADE
15COMPLETE PASSES
-
Marco Lazzaroni
21. Replacement6metres made
14MINUTES PLAYED
7TACKLES MADE
0COMPLETE PASSES
-
Eli Snyman
20. Replacement0metres made
29MINUTES PLAYED
7TACKLES MADE
1COMPLETE PASSES
-
Niccolo Cannone
19. Replacement0metres made
29MINUTES PLAYED
10TACKLES MADE
0COMPLETE PASSES
-
Tiziano Pasquali
18. Replacement0metres made
14MINUTES PLAYED
5TACKLES MADE
0COMPLETE PASSES
-
Cherif Traore
17. Replacement0metres made
29MINUTES PLAYED
8TACKLES MADE
1COMPLETE PASSES
-
Enjel Makelara
16. Replacement0metres made
23MINUTES PLAYED
6TACKLES MADE
0COMPLETE PASSES
-
Braam Steyn
8. Number 844metres made
80MINUTES PLAYED
19TACKLES MADE
7COMPLETE PASSES
-
Giovanni Pettinelli
7. Back-row10metres made
80MINUTES PLAYED
17TACKLES MADE
2COMPLETE PASSES
-
Sebastian Negri
6. Back-row29metres made
66MINUTES PLAYED
18TACKLES MADE
1COMPLETE PASSES
-
Federico Ruzza
5. Second-row8metres made
51MINUTES PLAYED
8TACKLES MADE
2COMPLETE PASSES
-
Irne Herbst
4. Second-row0metres made
51MINUTES PLAYED
17TACKLES MADE
3COMPLETE PASSES
-
Marco Riccioni
3. Tighthead prop0metres made
66MINUTES PLAYED
11TACKLES MADE
2COMPLETE PASSES
-
Epalahame Faiva
2. Hooker8metres made
57MINUTES PLAYED
12TACKLES MADE
4COMPLETE PASSES
-
Nicola Quaglio
1. Loosehead prop0metres made
51MINUTES PLAYED
10TACKLES MADE
0COMPLETE PASSES
-
Dewaldt Duvenage
9. Scrum-half1metres made
61MINUTES PLAYED
10TACKLES MADE
54COMPLETE PASSES
-
Tommaso Allan
10. Stand-off11metres made
80MINUTES PLAYED
12TACKLES MADE
13COMPLETE PASSES
-
Monty Ioane
11. Wing44metres made
80MINUTES PLAYED
2TACKLES MADE
2COMPLETE PASSES
-
Luca Morisi
12. Inside-centre8metres made
68MINUTES PLAYED
18TACKLES MADE
4COMPLETE PASSES
-
Iliesa Ratuva
13. Outside-centre21metres made
80MINUTES PLAYED
7TACKLES MADE
4COMPLETE PASSES
-
Leonardo Sarto
14. Wing6metres made
57MINUTES PLAYED
3TACKLES MADE
0COMPLETE PASSES
-
Jayden Hayward
15. Full-back11metres made
80MINUTES PLAYED
4TACKLES MADE
4COMPLETE PASSES
Glasgow Warriors
-
Ruaridh Jackson
15. Full-back10metres made
66MINUTES PLAYED
3TACKLES MADE
9COMPLETE PASSES
-
Kyle Steyn
14. Wing100metres made
80MINUTES PLAYED
3TACKLES MADE
5COMPLETE PASSES
-
Nick Grigg
13. Outside-centre52metres made
68MINUTES PLAYED
11TACKLES MADE
10COMPLETE PASSES
-
Sam Johnson
12. Inside-centre95metres made
70MINUTES PLAYED
10TACKLES MADE
5COMPLETE PASSES
-
Nikola Matawalu
11. Wing69metres made
68MINUTES PLAYED
2TACKLES MADE
4COMPLETE PASSES
-
Pete Horne
10. Stand-off75metres made
80MINUTES PLAYED
12TACKLES MADE
24COMPLETE PASSES
-
George Horne
9. Scrum-half84metres made
71MINUTES PLAYED
2TACKLES MADE
114COMPLETE PASSES
-
Aki Seiuli
1. Loosehead prop0metres made
41MINUTES PLAYED
4TACKLES MADE
0COMPLETE PASSES
-
George Turner
2. Hooker21metres made
71MINUTES PLAYED
10TACKLES MADE
6COMPLETE PASSES
-
Adam Nicol
3. Tighthead prop3metres made
45MINUTES PLAYED
5TACKLES MADE
2COMPLETE PASSES
-
Rob Harley
4. Second-row1metres made
80MINUTES PLAYED
9TACKLES MADE
2COMPLETE PASSES
-
Tim Swinson
5. Second-row9metres made
71MINUTES PLAYED
6TACKLES MADE
3COMPLETE PASSES
-
Bruce Flockhart
6. Back-row66metres made
80MINUTES PLAYED
13TACKLES MADE
2COMPLETE PASSES
-
Thomas Gordon
7. Back-row44metres made
80MINUTES PLAYED
18TACKLES MADE
3COMPLETE PASSES
-
Ryan Wilson
8. Number 816metres made
71MINUTES PLAYED
9TACKLES MADE
11COMPLETE PASSES
-
Grant Stewart
16. Replacement17metres made
9MINUTES PLAYED
1TACKLES MADE
1COMPLETE PASSES
-
Oli Kebble
17. Replacement4metres made
41MINUTES PLAYED
9TACKLES MADE
1COMPLETE PASSES
-
Petrus Du Plessis
18. Replacement4metres made
35MINUTES PLAYED
7TACKLES MADE
1COMPLETE PASSES
-
Andrew Davidson
19. Replacement20metres made
9MINUTES PLAYED
0TACKLES MADE
0COMPLETE PASSES
-
Chris Fusaro
20. Replacement3metres made
9MINUTES PLAYED
0TACKLES MADE
1COMPLETE PASSES
-
Nick Frisby
21. Replacement4metres made
9MINUTES PLAYED
1TACKLES MADE
5COMPLETE PASSES
-
Huw Jones
22. Replacement7metres made
14MINUTES PLAYED
0TACKLES MADE
3COMPLETE PASSES
-
Glenn Bryce
23. Replacement2metres made
22MINUTES PLAYED
3TACKLES MADE
2COMPLETE PASSES
Your browser is out of date.
Update your browser to view this website correctly.
CHECK HERE FOR LATEST VERSIONSRead more information about browsers and how to upgrade yours