Benetton team to face Dragons in URC Opener

It's time to get back on the pitch for Benetton Rugby. With the long preseason behind them, the green and whites will kick off their adventure in the 2026/27 United Rugby Championship on Friday evening, September 25, 2026, at 8:45 PM . The season opener will be held at the Stadio Monigo in Treviso , where they will face the Welsh side Dragons RFC in Round 1 of the new season.

A new chapter begins for Benetton Rugby, marked by the arrival of new head coach Wayne Pivac. The team is deeply motivated to start their new journey on the right foot. Their debut in front of their home crowd represents the first test for the new green-and-whites. Meanwhile, the Dragons RFC arrive in Treviso aiming to get their United Rugby Championship season off to a flying start. Monigo is therefore preparing to reopen its doors for a new URC season. An evening that will mark the beginning of the Wayne Pivac era.

REFEREEING DIRECTION :

The match will be refereed by South African Christopher Allison, assisted by Italians Alex Frasson and Dario Merli. South African Marius Jonker will be the referee.

PREVIOUS : 

There are 2-6 previous meetings between the Treviso-based franchise and the Welsh team. 16 wins for the Lions, 8 for the Dragons and 2 draws, the last of which was in the away match at Newport at the end of February 2026 . 

THE FORMATION OF THE LIONS :

For the first day of the 2026/27 United Rugby Championship, Coach Wayne Pivac has selected the lineup to face Dragons RFC in their season opener. The new green-and-white head coach has chosen a XV to kick off the new era in the best possible way. The team arrives at the Stadio Monigo with the goal of imposing their game from the outset and building on the work done during their summer preparations.

In the attacking midfield, Matt Gallagher is the fullback. The wingers are, on the left, Onisi Ratave , and on the right , Ignacio Mendy , back from his commitments with the Argentina national team. In the center, space is given from the start to newcomer François Mey , his first ever in green and white, and Paolo Odogwu . In midfield, Andy Uren manages the scrum and Jacob Umaga is the fly-half.

In the scrum, the front row is made up of props Matias Medrano , also making his debut for the Lions, and Simone Ferrari , who has recovered from injury; the hooker is Bautista Bernasconi . The second row pairs young Mattia Midena and Federico Ruzza . The back row features two flankers: Giulio Marini and Manuel Zuliani , while captain Sebastian Negri plays at number 8.

15 Matt Gallagher (25)
14 Ignacio Mendy (58)
13 François Mey *
12 Paolo Odogwu (37)
11 Onisi Ratave (44)
10 Jacob Umaga (77)
9 Andy Uren (62)
8 Sebastian Negri (C) (100)
7 Manuel Zuliani (83)
6 Giulio Marini (18)
5 Federico Ruzza (148)
4 Mattia Midena (4)
3 Simone Ferrari (134)
2 Bautista Bernasconi (61)
1 Matias Medrano *

Available: 16 Nicholas Gasperini (14), 17 Ivan Nemer (54), 18 Marcos Gallorini (10), 19 Piero Gritti *, 20 Antony Miranda *, 21 Siua Maile (49), 22 Louis Werchon (7), 23 Jean Smith *.

()= appearances in green and white.

*= debutant

Head Coach: Wayne Pivac.

Out : Sootala Fa'aso'o, Gonzalo Hughes, Alessandro Izekor, Tomas Medina, Rhyno Smith, Mirco Spagnolo, Isaia Walker-Leawere, Giosuè Zilocchi.