Benetton and Dragons played out a 19-19 draw in the United Rugby Championship on Thursday evening. The result left both sides with a point each from a tightly contested match at the home ground. By then, the hosts had built a small lead only for the visitors to respond before the final whistle.
We had backed Benetton to win with 67 per cent confidence before kick-off. The forecast did not materialise. And here's the thing, the game swung the other way when Dragons seized momentum in the closing stages, turning a narrow deficit into a share of the spoils.
Benetton sit sixth in the table with one draw from sixteen fixtures. They have collected just seven points so far and remain without a victory. The side showed flashes of promise in recent outings but could not convert them into points on this occasion.
The Dragons occupy fifth place with six wins and ten defeats from the same number of games. They sit 29 points from the top and have been resilient enough to avoid a loss in their last outing. To be fair, they knew they needed something from this trip and took it.
The draw keeps the gap between the two sides at 22 points in the standings. Neither side moved closer to the upper echelons, but both avoided defeat. The result leaves the title race largely unchanged.