Asaeli Carded, Thrashed By Benetton
Fijian Olympic gold medallist and winger, Asaeli Tuivuaka’s Zebre Parma side went down 14-39 to Benetton in their eighth round of the United Rugby Championship on Saturday at Stadio Sergio Lanfranchi in Italy.
The dominant scoreline confirms Benetton’s superiority over Zebre Parma.
The Namosi tank was shown a yellow card in the 34th minute for a high contact on Benetton’s fly-half Rhyno Smith.
Tuivuaka was sent off to the bin for ten minutes.
Zebre Parma had kicked off 2021 with backto-back wins over the men from Treviso, but it was Benetton who prevailed in their final fixture of the year - the first of a derby doubleheader, with the return meeting scheduled for January 2.
Zebre have not won a match in the competition since beating the Dragons at home in February, while the result is Benetton’s first win on the road since their last trip to Parma in May.
The match between Ulster and Scarlets due to be played yesterday in Belfast, has been postponed due to the number of positive COVID-19 cases within the Ulster squad.
The URC Medical Advisory Group has liaised with Ulster Rugby and the local health authorities and deemed that the fixture cannot go ahead as scheduled.
Meanwhile Tuivuaka after taking up this 12-month contract in September has settled in his new environment.
Two Fridays ago he scored his first EPCR Challenge Cup against three time European champions Toulon who won 28-14 at Stade Félix Mayol.
The EPCR Challenge Cup is an annual European Rugby Union competition organised by European Professional Club Rugby.
It is the second-tier competition for European clubs behind the European Rugby Champions Cup.
Tuivuka had featured for Pama Zebre while fellow Fijian and Olympic gold medallist Jiu
ta Wainiqolo and South African flyer Cheslin Kolbe played for Toulon.
The Namosi juggernaut’s hard running lines and solid carries kept fellow Wainiqolo and Kolbe switching positions to keep him at bay. Edited by Karalaini Waqanidrola