BENETTON RUGBY 38 – 35 CARDIFF RUGBY
Alex Mann came within inches of sending Cardiff Rugby into the quarter finals of the EPCR Challenge Cup quarter finals at the end of a remarkable 80 minutes of rugby in Treviso.
The packed Stadio Monigo ground had seen the game get off to a flying start with the first of 11 tries in the game coming in less than 10 seconds of the start from Italian international centre Thomas Menoncello.
The Italians were in rampant mood and scored four tries in the opening 13 minutes to race into a 28-7 lead, but Liam Belcher’s visitors dug in, hit back and could have won the game at the death. Now they have to head home to concentrate on the final four games in the BKT United Rugby Championship in order to qualify for the knock-out stages.
Benetton kicked off and Jacob Umaga’s drop kick wasn’t taken on the full by Cardiff in their 22 and the ball bounced over the head of No 8 Alun Lawrence. Menoncello was on hand to regather the ball and streak to the line for a try that was clocked at nine seconds.
That beat the previous record of 11 seconds set by Newcastle’s Max Wright against Worcester in December 2021. Umaga ran in the second score a minute after converting the opening scorer and added a second shortly after Thomas Gallo had also crossed the Cardiff line.
The Welsh region hit back with a close range effort from the inspirational Belcher, who never let his side droop their heads, and Jacob Beetham then added a second before Benetton bagged their fourth in the 28th minute from Fijian wing Onisi Ratave.
That made it 33-14 to the home side, but Cardiff ended the first half on a high with another close range effort from the indefatigable Lawrence which Callum Sheedy improved to cut the gap to nine points at the break, at 33-21.
Menoncello started the second half in much the same way as the first as he skipped away for his second try within a minute and a half of the restart. That was the last score from the home side as Cardiff redoubled their defensive efforts and stayed on the offensive.
Ellis Bevan at the posts after a bust by Lawrence and Beetham with an interception effort in the home 22 got Cardiff back to within one score. They also had 10 minutes with an extra player after Umaga was send to the bin for a late tackle on Lawrence in the approach to the Bevan try in the 44th minute.
Then came the late onslaught from Cardiff, two-time winners of the tournament, in which the forwards hammered away at the home line. Benetton’s defence held tight and then when Mann dived for glory in the 78th minute he lost the ball on the line.
Acting Cardiff skipper Ben Thomas protested to the French referee that his back row man had potentially touched down for what would have been a winning score, but it cut no ice and the game ended in a penalty against Thomas that enabled Benetton to kick out to end the game.