Dragons draw URC opener at Benetton after late drama

Tinus de Beer hit the post with an 80th-minute conversion as Dragons kicked off the United Rugby Championship season with a draw at Benetton.

Filo Tiatia's side shared the spoils four times in 2025-26 and it was a familiar story at the start of the new campaign after a spirited showing in Treviso.

Centre Francois Mey, hooker Bautista Bernasconi and wing Ignacio Mendy crossed to give Benetton, in their first game under former Wales boss Wayne Pivac, a 19-7 lead at half-time.

De Beer got Dragons' try in the first half, and a super effort by Tonga centre Fine Inisi cut the gap soon after the restart.

Scrum-half Che Hope had a try chalked off for the visitors with 15 minutes to go, but Wales hooker Elliot Dee went over to give De Beer a shot at the lead, only for his tricky kick from the right to hit the left post and bounce out.

Dragons travelled to Treviso with belief, courtesy of an encouraging 2025-26 season, albeit they still finished 15th despite much-improved results and performances.

With flanker Thomas Young a constant menace, they dealt with the Italians well in phase play, but the set-piece and discipline proved to be their issue in the first half.

Benetton's pack put pressure on for centre Mey to go over on debut and their driving line-out earned a second by hooker Bernasconi.

Dragons responded well with De Beer crossing for a slick score approaching the half hour after good work by lock Seb Davies and Young.

Mistakes in handling and defence allowed Benetton to have the final say of the half through Argentina wing Mendy down the right.

That meant Dragons needed a fast start to the second half and they made one, showing an offload game that was missing last season to work Inisi in the corner.

It remained a five-point game going into the final quarter and the visitors were denied a leveller with 15 minutes to go after the TMO spotted a knock-on by Huw Anderson before he put Hope over.

Jacob Umaga missed a long-range penalty in the 74th minute to make it a two-score game, and Dragons punished the Benetton with Dee going over from an impressive driving line-out.

It could have been a spirited victory, but in the end they settled for two points, with Wales wing Rio Dyer oddly kicking the ball out rather than going for a win from the final play.

Tiatia's side have something to build on, with all five of their remaining fixtures in the first block of the season in Wales.

They now face back-to-back URC derbies against Scarlets and Ospreys in Newport.

Benetton: Gallagher; Mendy, Mey, Odogwu, Ratave; Umaga, Uren; Medrano, Bernasconi, Ferrari, Midena, Ruzza, Marini, Zuliani, Negri (capt).

Replacements: Gasperini, Nemer, Gallorini, Gritti, Miranda, Maile, Werchon, Smith.

Dragons: Anderson; Dyer, Inisi, Owen (co-capt), Tuitavuki; de Beer, R Williams; Martinez, Burrows, Coleman, Langton-Cryer, S Davies, Woodman, Young (co-capt), Minto.

Replacements: Dee, W Jones, Hunt, Lewis-Hughes, Beddall, Hope, J Lloyd, Paea.