Six Nations star scores as Benetton beat Connacht to make Challenge Cup semi-finals

Six Nations Player of the Championship, Tommaso Menoncello, scored one of Benetton’s five tries as they beat Connacht 39-24 to progress to the Challenge Cup semi-finals.

Gianmarco Lucchesi, Rhyno Smith and Tomas Albornoz (2) also crossed the whitewash as the Italian outfit set up a clash with Gloucester in the last four at Kingsholm.

David Heffernan, Paul Boyle, Bundee Aki and Conor Oliver scored Connacht‘s tries as their European campaign came to a conclusion at the Stadio di Monigo on Sunday.

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Connacht started the game strongly as they crashed over via a driving maul on two minutes, with Heffernan the last man to his feet before JJ Hanrahan added the extras.

However, Benetton hit back soon after with a carbon copy of Connacht’s score, Italy hooker Lucchesi going over at the back of a maul to level matters in the sixth minute.

Menoncello and later Smith would touch down for Benetton, the latter after chasing down an error from Connacht and suddenly the Italian outfit were 19-7 to the good.

Things would get worse for Connacht on 26 minutes when Albornoz regathered his own kick downfield to score and with Jacob Umaga’s two points Benetton were 26-7 up.

Fortunately for Connacht they would go over through number eight Boyle just before the interval to give them something to build on as they went into the dressing rooms.

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Aki was the next to cross wide on the left on 56 minutes but Albornoz’s second nine minutes later, coupled with Umaga’s two penalties in the second half restored a cushion.

Connacht would not give up the fight and did cross again through replacement Oliver in the 68th minute but it proved a mere consolation as Benetton progress to the semis.

The teams

Benetton: 15 Rhyno Smith, 14 Ignacio Mendy, 13 Tommaso Menoncello, 12 Juan Ignacio Brex, 11 Onisi Ratave, 10 Tomas Albornoz, 9 Alessandro Garbisi, 8 Toa Halafihi, 7 Michele Lamaro (c), 6 Sebastian Negri, 5 Federico Ruzza, 4 Niccolo Cannone, 3 Simone Ferrari, 2 Gianmarco Lucchesi, 1 Thomas Gallo
Replacements: 16 Bautista Bernasconi, 17 Mirco Spagnolo, 18 Giosue Zilocchi, 19 Eli Snyman, 20 Alessandro Izekor, 21 Lorenzo Cannone, 22 Andy Uren, 23 Jacob Umaga

Connacht: 15 Tiernan O’Halloran, 14 Andrew Smith, 13 David Hawkshaw, 12 Bundee Aki, 11 Shane Jennings, 10 JJ Hanrahan, 9 Caolin Blade (c), 8 Paul Boyle, 7 Shamus Hurley-Langton, 6 Cian Prendergast, 5 Darragh Murray, 4 Joe Joyce, 3 Finlay Bealham, 2 Dave Heffernan, 1 Denis Buckley
Replacements: 16 Eoin de Buitlear, 17 Peter Dooley, 18 Sam Illo, 19 Niall Murray, 20 Conor Oliver, 21 Matthew Devine, 22 Cathal Forde, 23 Tom Farrell

Referee: Mike Adamson (Sco)
Assistant Referees: Ruairidh Campbell (Sco), Sam Grove-White (Sco)
TMO: Hollie Davidson (Sco)

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