Spritz and Scrums is back, and we are on a train from Venice to Rome still reeling from a heartbreaking weekend of Italian rugby. Benetton blew a 17-nil lead against Glasgow to lose in the final three minutes, while Zebre scored five tries away at Connacht but still came up short. We break down the brilliance of Benetton's first 50 minutes, the six-minute yellow-card collapse, questionable bench decisions, and why young props need to learn the dark arts of referee management. Then it's on to Zebre's encouraging attacking displays, their ongoing defensive struggles, and the emerging young talent coming through. Off the pitch, the "Lyon Fund" betting strategy is in tatters (£100 down and counting), someone's stolen a pair of personalized Ray-Bans from the stadium, and Coach is fuming about Guinness pour times. Plus: injury updates for Italy ahead of the Autumn Nations, who should replace Lamaro as Azzurri captain, and a very happy birthday to Louis Warchon.

| 0:00 | Intro: On the train, five weeks nil wins

| 1:12 | Benetton vs Glasgow: The heartbreak begins

| 2:10 | First half brilliance: 17-nil and flying

| 4:39 | The collapse: Six minutes, three tries, yellow card

| 6:34 | Experience vs youth: Scrums, refs & Lions savvy

| 7:58 | Injuries: Lamaro's 100th cap ends in broken hand

| 8:59 | Bench decisions: Why did they take Rhino off?

| 10:07 | The Lyon Fund: Betting against your own team

| 13:08 | Connacht vs Zebre: Five tries away from home

| 15:25 | Zebre's defense: Effort without a plan

| 16:18 | Stabile's smash & the Argentina question

| 16:50 | Young talent: Zebre's whipper-snappers

| 17:57 | Next week: Benetton vs Edinburgh, Zebre vs Dragons

| 19:07 | Being supporters: Highs, lows & social media

| 21:00 | What made Coach mad: Guinness pour times

| 21:55 | The stolen Ray-Bans saga

| 23:03 | Italy's injury crisis & the captaincy question

| 23:48 | Outro: Happy birthday Louis Warchon

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Welcome back to the Italian Rugby Podcast! Four weeks in, zero wins from eight across both Benetton and Zebre — but we're still here, and so are you.

In this episode we break down Benetton's European Challenge Cup opener away at Castres (18-9 loss), where the attack still isn't clicking and the basics are letting them down. We also cover Zebre's Challenge Cup clash at home to Ulster (21-40), where a 19-0 halftime deficit was met with a spirited second-half fightback that earned bonus-point respect.

00:00 - Welcome & going family-friendly

05:00 - Castres vs Benetton match review

09:00 - Benetton's basic skills issues

13:00 - Glasgow preview & Franco Smith warning

17:00 - Full-time score & highlights analysis

21:00 - Benetton vs Zebre expectations

25:00 - Zebre vs Ulster match review

32:00 - Zebre's passion & spirit

41:00 - Coach's Florence adventures

45:00 - Autumn test squad & sign-off

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Both Italian sides remain winless after three rounds of the United Rugby Championship. Benetton threw away another game with poor tackling, while Zebre showed fight despite losing to table-topping Edinburgh. The hosts look ahead to the EPCR as a fresh start, share a wild night out at an Irish bar, and predict Italy will shock France in the Six Nations.

00:00 — Intro & welcome from Florence

00:55 — Benetton vs Scarlets: lost 27-26

01:25 — Benetton's table position: 15th, all losses to bottom-half teams

02:17 — First half good, second half collapse

02:30 — Lewis Liner standout performance

03:12 — Tackling problems & Retafa's missed tackle

05:17 — Bad attitude coming out after halftime

05:55 — Forward pack dominance not exploited

08:50 — Team-wide attitude problem, not individuals

10:40 — Controversial disallowed try (came off his knee)

12:39 — Final score & who is Owens?

13:14 — Zebre vs Edinburgh review begins

14:28 — Fusco's brilliant try from his own 22

15:24 — Zebre's positives: energy, drive, camaraderie

17:18 — Looking ahead: EPCR — Benetton vs Castres, Zebre vs Ulster

19:21 — What made Coach Mad: not exploiting patterns

19:51 — Meeting the 19-year-old Australians in Florence

21:23 — Shout-out: The Old Stove Irish Bar

22:24 — Outro: Italian rugby not looking good

22:48 — Prediction: Italy will beat France in the Six Nations

23:59 — Sign-off

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