The Ireland prop is among the favourites to nail down one of the loosehead positions on this summer's tour of Australia.
Benetton scored a last-minute try to snatch a 21-18 victory over Edinburgh after Sione Tuipulotu had been sent off late on in the United Rugby Championship match at Stadio di Monigo.
South African World Cup winner Schalk Burger has picked former England captain Owen Farrell as his preferred choice to start for the British and Irish Lions against Australia later this year.
Steve Borthwick's deluge of back-rowers and clever use of the bench points the way forward for teams who cannot deploy a bruising 7:1 split.
The arrival of superstar backrower Ardie Savea has bolstered the belief at Moana Pasifika ,with his big brother Julian declaring their team can win the Super Rugby Pacific title this season.
Gregor Townsend has explained why he has opted to start Test level rookie Sione Tuipulotu at No12 this week following his efforts off the Guinness Six Nations bench last week in the win over England.
New Highlanders coach Tony Brown has had a subtle dig at Aaron Mauger, saying the team lost their identity during his tenure.
