Benetton Rugby edged Bath Rugby 22-21 on Sunday Afternoon in a Round 2 match of the Investec Champions Cup.
Faced with a new-look Bath side compared to last week, Benetton made sure to test them out early on. And their pressure from the start paid off before long. Following a nifty one-two down the left, it was Rhyno Smith who powered over into touch to give the Italians an early lead.
Benetton had clearly found a winning formula for their moves, as they soon exploited a gap down the right flank to add to their tally. The responsibility of touching down fell to Louis Lynagh after he collected the ball in space.
Having tightened up across the field, it was soon the English side’s turn to open their account. Niall Annett eventually wrestled the ball over the line to drag Bath to within touching distance.
But that defensive tightness did not last long as Benetton’s Smith soon found himself hitting the Bath touch for the second time in the afternoon after he skilfully intercepted a textbook yet loose pass to extend Benetton's lead to 17-07 at the halftime break.
Benetton returned in the second half with renewed energy. A dominant scrum provided the platform, as captain Miles Reid broke through with a game-changing run before offloading to Josh Bayliss, who rolled over to score.
The English side continued to assert their strength, and with a ruck positioned perilously close to the Benetton try-line, Thomas du Toit forced the ball into touch to complete what seemed like a decisive comeback.
Yet the longer Benetton remained within touching distance, the more dangerous they became. Nacho Brex came agonisingly close to restoring the Italian lead, but a costly ball drop offered Bath a sigh of relief.
This reprieve was short-lived. With relentless pressure in the dying minutes, Benetton camped in Bath’s half, piling forward in search of victory. Their persistence paid off as Bautista Bernasconi crossed the line following a well-executed line-out near touch, sealing a dramatic and deserved 22-21 win for the hosts.
Scorers:
Benetton Rugby: Tries: Rhyno Smith (2), Louis Lynagh, Bautista Bernasconi. Conversion: Tomas Albornoz.
Batch Rugby: Tries: Niall Annett, Josh Bayliss, Thomas du Toit. Conversions: Orlando Bailey (3).
Teams:
Benetton Rugby: 15 Rhyno Smith, 14 Louis Lynagh, 13 Tommaso Menoncello, 12 Malakai Fekitoa, 11 Onisi Ratave, 10 Tomas Albornoz, 9 Andy Uren, 8 Toa Halafihi, 7 Manuel Zuliani, 6 Sebastian Negri, 5 Federico Ruzza (c), 4 Niccolo Cannone, 3 Simone Ferrari, 2 Siua Maile, 1 Mirco Spagnolo. Replacements: 16 Bautista Bernasconi, 17 Thomas Gallo, 18 Tiziano Pasquali, 19 Riccardo Favretto, 20 Alessandro Izekor, 21 Alessandro Garbisi, 22 Jacob Umaga, 23 Nacho Brex.
Bath Rugby: 15 Tom de Glanville, 14 Regan Grace, 13 Max Ojomoh, 12 Cameron Redpath, 11 Ruaridh McConnochie, 10 Orlando Bailey, 9 Louis Schreuder, 8 Miles Reid (c), 7 Ethan Staddon, 6 Josh Bayliss, 5 Ross Molony, 4 Ewan Richards, 3 Billy Sela, 2 Niall Annett, 1 Francois van Wyk. Replacements: 16 Kepu Tuipulotu, 17 Arthur Cordwell, 18 Thomas du Toit, 19 Quinn Roux, 20 Ted Hill, 21 Tom Carr-Smith, 22 Louie Hennessey, 23 Jaco Coetzee.