Kiwi coach beats Jake White to URC job
NEWS: Benetton announced that a New Zealand-born coach will take the reins at the beginning of the 2026/27 United Rugby Championship season.
Former Wales head coach Wayne Pivac signed with the Treviso-based side until June 30, 2028, with the option to extend for a further two seasons.
It was reported by Rugbypass earlier this week that former Bulls and Bok coach Jake White, Richard Cockerill and Corneil van Zyl were the frontrunners for the position.
Pivac boasts an incredible coaching CV across the globe at club and country level.
His coaching career started with National Provincial Championship side Northland, leading them to the first division of the NPC in 1997 before moving to Auckland, where he won three championships in 1999, 2002 and 2003.
Pivac’s first role at Test level was with Fiji, where he won the Pacific Tri-Nations and contributed to the national team’s Sevens World Cup success in 2005 before returning to his native New Zealand for stints with North Harbour and Auckland.
He won the Pro 12 (now URC) title with Scarlets in 2017 and reached another (Pro 12) Final and the semifinal stage of the Champions Cup the following season.
His last stint at Test level came with Wales, whom he led to the 2021 Six Nations title and a historic first-ever win over the current world champions, the Springboks, on South African soil in 2022.
Pivac said, “I couldn’t say no to the opportunity to coach Benetton after facing them in Treviso with the Scarlets. I’ve enjoyed every trip: the games, the stadium, the people, and the Italian way of life.
“The challenge of taking the team to the next level and continuing the work of previous coaches is exciting. Being able to work with some incredibly talented Italian players and contribute to their development is an additional source of motivation for me.
“To all our stakeholders, sponsors, and of course, our fans, I want to say that I’m delighted to join the Benetton Rugby family. I want to see the team play a style of rugby that excites both the players and you, the fans.”
