IT
EN
Narrative voice: 1st person (Danilo) – hot-take/ratings style reaction to a friendly. Auto-generated YouTube captions, names verified via OnRugby/TrevisoToday/AllRugby. Featured image: YouTube maxresdefault thumbnail (to set). Cross-link to the other 2 pieces from this video to be added after creation. Polylang translation of IT post 901.
Winning in Georgia is never a given, so let me say it straight away: I enjoyed this one in Tbilisi. Benetton close their second pre-season outing by beating hosts Black Lion 36-14, six tries to two, in what was essentially a fine-tuning test ahead of their United Rugby Championship opener. A win is a win, and you take it home very happily.
But beyond the scoreline, what really interests me is the checklist Wayne Pivac brought with him to Georgia. And I have to say the New Zealand coach ticked off almost everything on it.
A scrum to applaud
Let’s start there, up front. The starting front row of Matias Medrano and Simone Ferrari held up really well while the squad waits for Mirco Spagnolo to return, and when Marcos Gallorini and Ivan Nemer came off the bench the level went up another notch. Gallorini looked sharp, maybe carrying a few less kilos, and thoroughly dominant in the scrum; Nemer even grabbed a try, a sign of a prop back to his best. Then there’s the third unit, Tiziano Pasquali and Destiny Aminu, completing a front-row group with real depth this season.
A defence built like a proper team
In the lineout Benetton were just as good, with Piero Gritti – very young but managing the touch like a veteran – leading a second-row group where Mattia Midena also stood out. At number eight, Antony Miranda put in a shift of pure graft, the kind of tackle count a friendly’s stats sheet will never fully capture. And then the maul: Benetton scored twice off it, but more importantly defended it well too, the sort of specific work that shows when it’s been drilled properly.
When do Benetton start their URC season?
Benetton open their United Rugby Championship campaign on Friday 25 September at Monigo against the Dragons, after closing pre-season with two tests: a home win over Zebre and this away win in Georgia against Black Lion.
The bigger picture: a team under construction
There were still several internationals and other squad players who weren’t even among the 23 today – there were eleven on the bench alone, so Pivac has a wide pool to draw from. What I take from this is that this year’s Benetton is, as we’ve said before, a team under construction: we’re not expecting stunning results straight away, we want to see a path being built. And today, in Georgia, we saw the start of that path.
A win is a win, and you take it home very happily.
Read also: Seb Negri comeback: 70 devastating minutes | Benetton number 9 has five candidates for the shirt
Tell me in the comments what convinced you most about this pre-season Benetton, and we’ll see you tonight for Springboks-All Blacks. Subscribe to the channel if you haven’t already: the real season starts in two weeks.
Danilo — DanPat Rugby
– Result 36-14 (the video only gives tries, 6-2): confirmed by OnRugby, TrevisoToday, AllRugby (13/09/2026).
– Benetton try-scorers: Maile (17′, 44′), Mey 39′, Drago 49′, Nemer 58′, Werchon 67′ – source: official OnRugby match report.
– Venue/date: Tbilisi, Georgia, Friday 12/09/2026 – source TrevisoToday.
– Next fixture: URC opener vs Dragons, Friday 25/09/2026 at Monigo – source OnRugby.
– Names corrected from auto-captions: “Miler”/”Sami” -> Siua Maile; “Franisamei” -> Francois Mey; “Pippo Drago” -> Filippo Drago (full name); “Andy Juren” -> Andy Uren – source official Benetton/OnRugby team sheet.
– Not confirmed/corrected: the video jokes that Piero Gritti “is 36 years old, must be his father” – this is Danilo’s joke; the player (born 2005) is actually 21. The text keeps only the technical judgement (“veteran-like management”), not the joking age.