MacRae: “I Want To Create An Increasingly Competitive Environment”

New Benetton head coach Calum MacRae has promised to leave nothing to chance as he prepares to lead the Italian club for the first time this season.

MacRae has stepped up from defence coach to succeed Marco Bortolami who has joined Gallagher Prem side Sale Sharks.

Bortolami leaves a big legacy in Treviso. He took Benetton to the United Rugby Championship (URC) play-offs and reached EPRC Challenge Cup semi-finals for the first time. Under his guidance, players such as Tommaso Menoncello, Michele Lamaro, and Juan Brex are well-known and respected at international level.

HIGH INTENSITY

Last season though, Benetton missed out on the play-offs and have lost Brex and flyhalf Tomas Albornoz to Toulon.

"I want to create an increasingly competitive environment: this is crucial for me, to push the group in the right direction,” MacRae said.

“We also have the ability to add technical details, but the thing that matters most to me, to be ready for the start of the season, is consistency and high intensity in every training session.”

MacRae, former Edinburgh, and Worcester Warriors player, and Newcastle Falcons, Edinburgh, and Scotland 7s coach has been in north-east Italy since he took Bortolami’s call in 2022.

He has already freshened up his coaching team.

REDS IN-COMING

Pete Wilkins joins as attack coach from Connacht, breakdown and contact coach Dewald Senekal arrives fresh from a stint helping the New England Free Jacks to the Major League Rugby (MLR) title in the USA, and Salvo Costanzo takes over from former Italy and Saracens hooker Fabio Ongaro as the scrum and lineout coach.

Benetton have also agreed a player-exchange deal with Queensland Reds, and so far, Josh Flook, John Bryant, Richie Asiata, and Louis Werchon have arrived in north-east Italy to boost the squad and gain experience of playing in Europe.

“You need a strong defence, strong set pieces, a strong kicking game, and a strong kick-and-chase system,” MacRae said. “With these key characteristics clearly defined, we'll be able to apply effective pressure on the pitch and get into the right areas to play.

“We'll also be able to play faster, with more ball movement, but also with a lot of physical strength. These are our fundamental principles that we want to develop from here on out.”