The GREEN-WHITE ready to challenge the Lions at home

A week after the home match against Munster, the Lions are ready to return to the field again within friendly walls. On Sunday 5 November at 2.30 pm Benetton Rugby will play Round 3 of the URC 2023/2024 at the Monigo stadium.

In the second home match of the season, the green and whites host the South African franchise the Emirates Lions . The Johannesburg team has joined the United Rugby Championship since 2021; it is therefore a challenge with few recent comparisons. In terms of the standings, Benetton Rugby is in eighth place after two rounds with 6 points, the result of a victory and a draw. On the other side, the Lions are 13th and have lost their first two games, but have still collected 3 points because they have suffered two narrow defeats (33-35 at home against the Stormers and 17-16 last weekend in Edinburgh).

PREVIOUS :

In their entire history, the Treviso Lions and the Lions have faced each other only twice since the South Africans entered the United Rugby Championship in 2021. In both matches the Lions were the ones who prevailed: the first time in Johannesburg (37-29 ) and last year in Monigo (28-32). A former green and white player plays in the Lions: Andries Coetzee, a fullback who moved to Benetton Rugby in the 2021/2022 season.

THE ARBITRATION DIRECTORATE :

The Irishman Peter Martin will be in charge of tomorrow's match, making his debut in the competition, supported by the two assistants Frank Murphy and Oisin Quinn. At the TMO the Irishman Olly Hodges.

THE TRAINING OF LIONS :

Coach Marco Bortolami will be able to count on all the national team players returning from the World Cup adventure, including Pumas Thomas Gallo. Instead, he will have to give up other players who are sidelined due to injury. Analyzing the battery of attacking midfielders, the Treviso coaching staff decides to rely on all the same seven seen from the 1st minute against Munster, except for one change. The fullback is always Rhyno Smith , the wingers will be Edoardo Padovani on the right and Ignacio Mendy on the left . In the center again Filippo Drago assisted by Malakai Fekitoa , making his second appearance in green and white. Andy Uren will manage the scrum for the third time, but on Sunday Tomas Albornoz will be the designated opener from the start.

The green and white pack will instead see several changes. An entirely new front line with the returning left prop Thomas Gallo , the right prop is the recovered Simone Ferrari , chasing Giacomo Nicotera . The second line is not touched: Edoardo Iachizzi positions himself next to captain Eli Snyman . In the third line the two flankers are Alessandro Izekor and in two days Sebastian Negri returns to the starting lineup . Lorenzo Cannone returns at number 8 .

Benetton Rugby :

15 Rhyno Smith (35)
14 Edoardo Padovani (40)
13 Malakai Fekitoa (1)
12 Filippo Drago (15)
11 Ignacio Mendy (12)
10 Tomas Albornoz (35)
9 Andy Uren (2)
8 Lorenzo Cannone (27)
7 Sebastian Negri (71)
6 Alessandro Izekor (16)
5 Eli Snyman (C) (28)
4 Edoardo Iachizzi (2)
3 Simone Ferrari (95)
2 Giacomo Nicotera (33)
1 Thomas Gallo (42)

Available: 16 Gianmarco Lucchesi (34), 17 Mirco Spagnolo (2), 18 Giosué Zilocchi (2), 19 Niccolò Cannone (61), 20 Michele Lamaro (53), 21 Alessandro Garbisi (30), 22 Jacob Umaga (18 ), 23 Marco Zanon (68).

()= presences in green and white.

Head Coach : Marco Bortolami.

Unavailable : Marco Lazzaroni, Siua Maile, Leonardo Marin, Tommaso Menoncello, Onisi Ratave, Scott Scrafton, Nahuel Tetaz, Manuel Zuliani.

Referee: Peter Martin (IRFU)

Assistants: Frank Murphy and Oisin Quinn (IRFU).

TMO: Olly Hodges (IRFU).

LIVE – The match can be followed verbatim on the official Benetton Rugby Twitter page with the hashtag #BENvLIO. The match will be broadcast live on Sky Go and on live TV on Sky Sport Arena (channel 204).