Italian club Benetton have confirmed that seven players will leave at the end of their disappointing season in the United Rugby Championship.<\/p>\n
The Treviso-based club produced a shock win over high-flying Leinster on Saturday night, but that victory was an exception in a campaign where they are drifting in 13th place with just six victories in 16 URC<\/a> outings. They were also eliminated from the EPCR Challenge Cup at the quarter-final stage.<\/p>\n With their final two matches of the 2025\/26 season coming away to the Sharks and the Bulls in South Africa next month, the Italians used their final home fixture of the year versus Leinster to confirm their list of departures ahead of Wayne Pivac\u2019s arrival as new head coach.<\/p>\n Topping the exit list is Tommaso Menoncello, the 23-year-old who has lit up recent Six Nations campaigns<\/a> with Italy<\/a> and was voted player of the championship in 2024. He is said to be moving to France to an as-yet-confirmed Top 14 club, most likely Toulouse, but he isn\u2019t the only Benetton<\/a> player making the switch across the Alps.<\/p>\n \u201cEach of them leaves a mark\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n Former All Blacks midfielder Malakai Fekitoa is also on the move, agreeing to join Pro D2 side Beziers, while Pumas front-rower Thomas Gallo has taken up a four-year deal at Lyon in the Top 14.<\/p>\n Also departing are Nahuel Tetaz Chaparro, another Argentinian prop who brought the curtain down on his Test career last year, and lock Eli Snyman, who is switching to Ulster in a two-year contract.<\/p>\n Kiwi lock Scott Scrafton and Argentine scrum-half Nicolas Roger Farias are also leaving the Stadio di Monigo outfit. Gregor Townsend\u2019s role in \u2018obsessive\u2019 Sergio Parisse\u2019s Italy return<\/a><\/p>\n
Benetton president Antonio Pavanello said: I would like to express my sincerest gratitude to all the athletes who are about to conclude their careers at Benetton.<\/p>\n