The friendly match was part of weekend training camp in Tenero for the combined Mad Dogs regional team in preparation for the second half of the season.

Mad Dogs opened up a useful first half lead and had to weather a fightback as Milano edged ahead 19-17 at the start of the second period. But Mad Dogs' dominance was restored as the visiting side ran in seven tries during the course of the match.

The performance was built on solid defensive foundations, a strong team spirit and visible improvements in link-up play throughout the team. This led to some fine attacking combinations despite the quagmire conditions.

A second friendly match was later arranged to give every player meaningful time on the pitch.