| Gloucester (19) 54 |
| Tries: Singleton, Meehan, Reid, Alemanno, Penalty, Varney, May, Clement Cons: Hastings 4, Evans 2 |
| Benetton (18) 25 |
| Tries: Smith, Negri, Morisi Cons: Smith 2 Pens: Smith 2 |
Gloucester secured their first win in the European Challenge Cup with an eight-try victory over Benetton.
Jack Singleton, Ben Meehan and Jordy Reid gave Gloucester a 19-6 lead, before Rhyno Smith and Sebastian Negri moved the Italians to within one point.
Matias Alemanno secured the bonus point and a penalty try, and another score from Stephen Varney, moved Gloucester further clear.
Luca Morisi pulled one back but Jonny May and Jack Clement tied up the win.
Gloucester are the only English side in European Challenge Cup action this weekend, with Newcastle on a bye week and the other English sides having had their games postponed for coronavirus-related issues.
Benetton took the lead through two Smith penalties yet Gloucester gradually built into the match, as Singleton scored the first try from their increasingly effective driving maul.
Meehan added a second five minutes later – his first competitive try for Gloucester – touching down a Louis Rees-Zammit chip.
Benetton captain Michele Lamaro was yellow-carded for an off-the-ball tackle on Lloyd Evans, and it was not long before Reid – making his first start for the Cherry and Whites since September – capitalised on their maul to add a third.
Smith kept the Italian side in it, breaking free and wrong-footing Rees-Zammit to score in the corner. Then right on half-time Negri pegged the score back to a finely-tuned 19-18.
But two-time competition winners Gloucester quickly began to run away with it.
Alemanno pounced on an over-thrown Benetton line-out minutes after half-time, and when a penalty try was given for Benetton collapsing the maul, Irne Herbst was sent to the sin bin and reduced the United Rugby Championship side to 14 men again.
Welsh-born Italy international Varney added Gloucester’s sixth just three minutes after coming on as a replacement, and Morisi scored Benetton’s third with 20 minutes to go.
May was given his just rewards after coming close multiple times, running in Gloucester’s seventh try, before Clement added the eighth late on – diving over from another maul.
Gloucester: Evans; Rees-Zammit, Harris, Twelvetrees, May; Hastings, Meehan; Rapava-Ruskin, Singleton, Gotovtsev, Clarke, Alemanno, Reid, Ludlow (c), Ackermann.
Replacements: Walker, Ford-Robinson, Balmain, Davidson, Clement, Varney, Kveseladze, Moyle.
Benetton: Pani; Padovani, Mononcello, Riera, Ioane; Smith, Braley; Lamaro (c), Zuliani, Negri, Ruzza, Herbst, Pasquali, Lucchesi, Gallo.
Sin bin: Lamaro (29), Herbst (50)
Replacements: Els, Traore, Nemer, Cannone, Steyn, Garbisi, Duvenage, Morisi.
Referee: Craig Evans (Wal).
