Italian club with designs on major result

BENETTON TREVISO PROFILE: John O'Sullivantalks to former Treviso player and Irish fullback Simon Mason, who says the club are producing quality performances this season

BENETTON TREVISO’S 9-8 victory over Perpignan in the opening round of matches in the Heineken Cup last October merited top billing on the honours board or perhaps a pantheon dedicated to the Italian club’s outstanding performances in Europe.

It’s a category from which there are a few to choose but victory over the reigning French champions brooks no argument when arriving at a pecking order. Treviso have mugged several high-profile rugby teams visiting the beautifully-appointed Stadio Comunale di Monigo, a list that includes Edinburgh, Pontypridd, Harlequins, Wasps, Bourgoin and Bath.

They have also prospered on their travels but not quite to the same extent. Treviso have played 68 matches in the Heineken Cup, winning 16 – 10 of those at home – and losing 52. They’ve endured some tough times, at one point losing 16 matches in succession, including two whitewashes in as many seasons at the pool stages.

That victory over Perpignan brought to an end 12 defeats in a row on their own turf, which had become as accommodating to visitors as almost any venue in Europe. It was therefore understandable when team manager, the former Italian prop Franco Properzi, claimed the victory as “the greatest in our Heineken Cup history”.

He elaborated: “It was a great day for Treviso in the Heineken Cup and a significant day for Italian rugby. We’ve had some good results in the past, but in this game we beat the French champions – we’ve never done that before.

“It has got to be the greatest win we’ve ever had in the Heineken Cup and it breaks the sequence of eight successive defeats in the tournament that we had suffered in the past two seasons.”

Prior to the Perpignan success, arguably the most prized scalp was that of Wasps, who were beaten 32-17 at the Stadio Comunale di Monigo in the 2001-2002 season.

The man of the match that day was former Ireland fullback Simon Mason, who kicked eight penalties. In was his first season in Italy having previously helped Ulster win the European Cup in 1999: he contributed 18 points of 21 in the final against Colomiers at Lansdowne Road.

The Liverpool-born player arrived at Benetton from Stade Français, turning down a number of lucrative offers in France to join the Italian club. He would spend three seasons there, a spell that would have been longer had he not had to return home – he had two years left on his contract at the time – to look after his mother, who became ill.

Currently the head of physical education at St Anselm’s College in Birkenhead – he was educated there, as was England international Austin Healy and former Ireland scrumhalf Christian Saverimutto – he has returned to Treviso subsequently over several summers for holidays with his family. He still harbours a strong affection for the club and the city.

“I was newly married when I arrived in Treviso and our daughter Ciara would be born there. I found it particularly welcoming. The playing set-up was surprisingly good. Treviso is a walled city, although it is probably more accurate to describe it as a town. We lived about half a mile outside the walls but it was an easy commute and the lifestyle was brilliant.

“We did our training at La Ghirada – the club still does – a huge facility that was also home to the Benetton basketball franchise, one of the best in Europe, and the Sisley (it’s a Benetton brand for women) volleyball team. The club is a focal point for the community.

“Craig Green did an excellent job for the club in his time as a player and then coach and Franco Smith appears to be doing the same. The club never had a problem in attracting high-profile names in the past if you look at some of the old boys like Michael Lynagh and John Kirwan.

“There was a huge gulf between the Italians’ Super 10 and the European Cup competitions and I don’t think it’s changed hugely since my day. We’d have a couple of hundred supporters for some of the more low-key domestic games and in contrast, I can remember one particular game against Munster when the Stadio Monigo was jammed.

“When you got to the business end of the Super 10 the attendances would pick up. Treviso and Italian rugby in general is suffering because of that gulf between their league and Europe. Entry into the Magners League would be a massive step in the right direction in guaranteeing the consistency of high-level competition that would allow the clubs to develop.”

Mason pointed to the fact Treviso boast a sound financial base, supported by the Benetton family, and the similarities between the results the current team are achieving and those produced during a couple of seasons while he was playing.

“We were tough to beat at home and managed a few good wins. We came close to beating Ulster (they lost 33-28 at home with Mason kicking seven penalties and a conversion) in the same campaign that we beat Wasps.

“We had some excellent players, particularly up front but there was a certain naïveté in terms of the concession of silly penalties. Having said that, I couldn’t fault the training, the facilities, people at the club, the supporters and the lifestyle itself. It’s great to see the club producing a quality of performance this season that augurs well for the future.”

Treviso welcome Munster today and the visitors won’t be taking anything for granted.

Quite apart from their win over Perpignan the Italian club showed at Thomond Park and against Northampton at Franklin’s Gardens they are capable of embarrassing their hosts if given any leeway; albeit that they didn’t sustain that impetus for 80 minutes.

The Saints were slightly fortunate to escape from Italy in the last round of matches in the tournament with a 21-18 victory, Treviso’s South African place-kicker Marius Goosen missing three penalties during the match. The home side, having trailed 14-3 at one point, produced a strong finish only to come up agonisingly short.

Coach Franco Smith will have seen enough in the earlier meeting with Munster in Limerick to believe his side can trouble the two-time champions, although he will perhaps be less bullish after the Irish province’s magnificent victory over Perpignan at the Stade Aime Giral.

Treviso go into today’s game having lost their last two outings in the Italian Super 10, a surprising 30-24 home defeat to I Cavalieri Prato and most recently, 8-3 away to Padova.

The Treviso captain Italian international Antonio Pavenello, promised: “It’s a game (the Munster match) where we will have to assert ourselves especially in terms of character, after the last two defeats in the championship and to re-evaluate as a team. We will give it everything to try and produce a major result.”

He pointed to their performances against Perpignan and Northampton at the Stadio Monigo and suggested, “The team is confident and I think we have shown during this qualifying campaign that Treviso can make our opponents struggle.”

Perpignan and Northampton have left Italy without bonus points.

Munster usually relish that sort of challenge.

Benetton Treviso at home in Heineken Cup

1995-1996: beat Farul Constanta 86-8.

1996-1997: lost to Dax 34-14; lost to Bath 50-27.

1997-1998: lost to Pau 19-18; beat Caledonia 52-6; beat Llanelli 42-25.

1998-1999: lost to Colomiers 22-19; beat Glasgow Caledonians 34-15; beat Pontypridd 33-19.

1999-2000: lost to Montferrand 21-15; lost to Cardiff 40-16; beat Harlequins 24-23.

2001-2002: lost to Ulster 33-28; beat Wasps 32-17; lost to Stade Francais 59-6.

2003-2004: lost to Gloucester 33-12; beat Bourgoin 42-33; lost to Munster 31-20.

2004-2005: lost to Leinster 25-9; beat Bath 29-23; beat Bourgoin 40-29.

2005-2006: lost to Saracens 30-17; lost to Biarritz 38-24; lost to Ulster 43-26.

2006-2007: lost to Perpignan 25-10; lost to Wasps 71-5; lost to Castres 40-21.

2007-2008: lost to Perpignan 29-17; lost to Newport Gwent Dragons 35-33; lost to London Irish 24-11.

2008-2009: lost to Leicester Tigers 60-16; lost to Ospreys 36-16; lost to Perpignan 48-16.

2009-2010: beat Perpignan 9-8; lost to Northampton Saints 21-18.

ITALIAN SUPER 10 CHAMPIONS: 1956, 1978, 1983, 1989, 1992, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2001, 2003, 2004, 2006, 2007, 2009.

COPPA ITALIA: 1970, 1998, 2005