Pete Wilkins joins URC rivals after Connacht exit

Pete Wilkins has found a new club a month after he ended his eight-year association with Connacht, agreeing to become Benetton’s attack coach ahead of next season.

The deal will run until June 2028 and will begin in July when attentions will turn to next United Rugby Championship season.

Wilkins operated as an attack coach early on in his time with Connacht before taking on the role of head coach in 2022.

Benetton currently sit in seventh place in the URC standings with one round remaining. They travel to eighth-place Munster on Friday, with the loser likely being bumped out of the top eight and therefore missing the play-offs.

Fixture

United Rugby Championship

Munster

30 - 21

Full-time

Benetton

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“I am very happy and honoured to join Benetton and the wider Treviso rugby family,” Wilkins said.

“This move represents an exciting new chapter, both for my family and for my coaching career. I am very grateful to Antonio Pavanello and Calum MacRae for offering me this opportunity: I look forward to working closely with them, my new colleagues and the group of players to continue to grow Benetton Rugby and to develop the undoubted potential of this historic Italian club.”

Benetton general manager Antonio Pavanello added: “We are very excited to welcome Peter Wilkins to our coaching staff. Together with Calum MacRae we have conducted a careful assessment of the available profiles and we are convinced that Peter represents the ideal choice to lead and develop our attacking department in the coming years.

“His international experience is broad and varied: he has worked at the highest level in very different rugby contexts, from Australia to Ireland, where he recently had a key role in the leadership of Connacht Rugby.

“Peter not only covered the role of attack coach under Andy Friend, he has also gained important experience as a head coach, an element that we consider very valuable to enrich the comparison and the quality of the work of our entire technical staff. The Connacht attack, under his direction, has always expressed an effective, dynamic and modern game, characteristics that marry well with our vision and the future objectives of the team.

“We are happy that he has chosen Benetton Rugby to continue his career, certain that his contribution will make the difference in the growth of our team and in achieving the objectives we have set ourselves. Finally, I would like to point out that in the next few days we will announce the definition of the technical staff and its members.”