Glasgow Warriors' aspirations for a top-two finish in the United Rugby Championship took a significant hit as they suffered a heavy defeat against Benetton in Italy. Despite the return of key players Scott Cummings and Huw Jones, the Warriors were unable to recover from a sluggish start.

Benetton set the tone early with two tries in the first 10 minutes. Italy international Paolo Odogwu and hooker Siua Maile both crossed the line, with fly-half Jacob Umaga converting both tries. Rhyno Smith added another try before the break, leaving Glasgow scoreless in the first half.

The second half saw continued dominance from Benetton, with Tomasso Menoncello and Umaga both scoring tries. Umaga also added his third and fourth conversions, further extending Benetton's lead. Glasgow managed to get on the scoreboard when George Horne took a quick tap and found Jones out wide, with the centre crossing for a try.

Despite this effort, Franco Smith's side now sits in third place, four points behind the Bulls. With the regular season concluding next weekend against top-of-the-table Leinster in Ireland, the chances of a home semi-final in the play-offs look increasingly slim for Glasgow.

Benetton Line-up: Smith, Mendy, Menoncello, Brex, Odogwu; Umaga, Garbisi; Gallo, Maile, Ferrari, Scrafton, Ruzza, Favretto, Zuliani, L Cannone. Replacements: Creevy, Spagnolo, Zilocchi, N Cannone, Negri, Casilio, Marin, Fekitoa.

Glasgow Warriors Line-up: Smith, Dobie, Jones, McDowall, Steyn; Jordan, Horne; Bhatti, Matthews, Richardson, Williamson, Samuel, Cummings, Darge, Vailanu. Replacements: Hiddleston, McBeth, Walker, Du Preez, Ferrie, Afshar, Hastings, Rowe.