Late Dee try earns Dragons 19-19 draw at Benetton in URC opener

Dragons recovered from a 12-point half-time deficit to draw 19-19 at Benetton in their United Rugby Championship season opener in Treviso. According to BBC Sport’s match report, Elliot Dee’s late try gave the visitors a chance to win, but Tinus de Beer’s conversion in the 80th minute struck the left post and stayed out.

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The result denied Benetton victory in their first game under former Wales coach Wayne Pivac. The hosts had led 19-7 at the interval after tries from debutant centre Francois Mey, hooker Bautista Bernasconi and wing Ignacio Mendy. Jacob Umaga added two conversions, while De Beer scored and converted Dragons’ only try of the opening half.

Benetton’s forwards helped establish that advantage, with pressure from the pack creating the opportunity for Mey before a driving line-out produced Bernasconi’s score. Dragons responded through De Beer approaching the half-hour mark, following work by Seb Davies and Thomas Young. Handling and defensive errors then allowed Mendy to score down the right before the break, leaving the Welsh side needing a second-half recovery.

Fine Inisi provided the early response after the restart, finishing in the corner following an offloading move. That brought Dragons within five points, and the margin remained unchanged as the match entered its final quarter. They appeared to have drawn level with 15 minutes remaining when Che Hope crossed, but a television review identified a knock-on by Huw Anderson before his pass to the scrum-half, ruling out the try.

Umaga missed a long-range penalty in the 74th minute that could have restored a two-score cushion for Benetton. Dragons subsequently drew level through Dee, whose try came from a driving line-out. De Beer then had the opportunity to put the visitors ahead with a difficult conversion from the right, only to be denied by the post. Rio Dyer kicked the ball out on the final play, leaving the match tied and Dragons with two points.

For Filo Tiatia’s side, the draw followed four shared results in the 2025-26 campaign, when they finished 15th. Their next two URC matches are home derbies against Scarlets and Ospreys in Newport. All five of their remaining fixtures in the opening block of the season are in Wales, after a trip to Italy in which they kept Benetton scoreless throughout the second half.