**Having kicked-off the season with contrasting fortunes, Benetton and Leinster will be equally eager to emerge victorious from their Round 2 clash in Treviso for different reasons.** The Italians went down 35-24 to Ulster in their 2020/21 opener last week, but Kieran Crowley’s men pushed last season’s beaten finalists for much of the 80 minutes and their dogged display suggested they could prove a tough nut to crack on home soil. They could hardly be presented with a tougher challenge than the visit of triple-defending champions Leinster, though, who picked up where they left off with a bonus-point 35-5 win at home to Dragons in Round 1. While Benetton look to get back to winning ways, and Leinster aim to assert early control in Conference A, here’s all you need to know ahead of what promises to be a cracking contest. # What’s at stake? A fifth-place finish in Conference B last season saw Benetton fall short in their bid to emulate their run to the Final Series in 2018/19, and while a narrow defeat to Ulster last week gave cause for optimism, they ultimately remain pointless. Crowley will be conscious that the Championship standings quickly take shape, and will be desperate to get some points on the board before he loses several players to Italy’s autumn endeavours, with 16 men having been included in Franco Smith’s initial 33-man squad.
