Match Centre: United Rugby Championship: Glasgow 42-10 Benetton

Glasgow Warriors 42-10 Benetton, Dexcom Stadium

Glasgow Warriors claimed a commanding bonus-point victory over Benetton, who were reduced to 14 men for the entire second half after lock Scott Scrafton received a red card for a high tackle on Adam Hastings just before halftime.

Franco Smith's reigning United Rugby Championship title holders were leading 14-7 at the time of Scrafton's dismissal, with tries from Kyle Steyn and Matt Fagerson putting them in the driver’s seat.

Glasgow extended their lead after the break, as Rory Darge and Jamie Dobie crossed the line to secure the bonus point. Benetton’s discipline continued to unravel when Paolo Odogwu was shown a yellow card, leaving them temporarily down to 13 players.

Moments later, Sione Tuipulotu delivered a pinpoint skip pass to Steyn, who touched down for his second try of the match.

Euan Ferrie, filling in on the wing for a portion of the second half, capped off the evening with a powerful run from close range, scoring Glasgow’s sixth try. Duncan Weir added the conversion to seal the 50-10 victory.

Benetton’s woes deepened further when they were reduced to 12 men late in the match due to another disciplinary infraction. Despite their numerical advantage, Glasgow missed several scoring opportunities and could have inflicted even more damage on a struggling Benetton side.

The Warriors made an electric start, launching a try from deep within their own half, initiated by the ever-impressive Tuipulotu. He linked up with Hastings, who found Josh McKay slicing through a gap. McKay offloaded to Kyle Rowe on the left, who then set up Steyn for a straightforward finish.

Glasgow quickly followed up with another try, again sparked by Tuipulotu’s brilliance. He slipped past one defender and spun out of another tackle to feed Fagerson, who finished the move.

Benetton briefly responded with a try of their own through loosehead prop Ivan Nemer off a driving maul, but Scrafton’s red card just before the interval shifted the momentum firmly in Glasgow’s favor.

Although Hastings didn’t return for the second half, Jacob Umaga managed to reduce the deficit to 14-10 for Benetton. However, Glasgow responded in emphatic fashion, with Darge capitalizing on a Benetton error in their own 22 to score, and Dobie following up soon after with a clean break off a scrum to secure the bonus point.

Odogwu’s yellow card for a dangerous aerial challenge on Steyn allowed the Warriors to punish Benetton further. Steyn completed his brace almost immediately, and the outstanding Ferrie, playing out of position, delivered the final blow by scoring in the closing stages.

Glasgow’s relentless performance sends a clear message to the rest of the league as the defending champions open their campaign with a comprehensive five-point win.

Team line up:

Glasgow Warriors: McKay, Steyn, Tuipulotu, Jordan, Rowe, Hastings, Dobie, McBeth, Hiddleston, Z Fagerson, Williamson, Gray, Ferrie, Darge, M Fagerson.

Reserves: Matthews, Sutherland, Talakai, Samuel, Cummings, Brown, G Horne, Weir.

Benetton Treviso: Gallagher, Lynagh, Fekitoa, Zanon, Ratave, Umaga, Uren, Spagnolo, Maile, Ferrari, Scrafton, Snyman, Izekor, Zuliani, Negri.

Reserves: Manfredi, Aminu, Genovese, Favretto, Halafihi, Garbisi, Marin, Odogwu.