Jack McGrath’s early try set Leinster on their way to a comfortable 27-3 victory over Benetton Treviso at the Stadio Monigo as the Italians slipped to a 13th consecutive GUINNESS PRO12 defeat. Tries from McGrath and Isa Nacewa bookended the first half before Jack Conan and the impressive Ben Te’o secured the four-try bonus point after the interval – a Jayden Hayward penalty all that Treviso could offer. The triumph was just Leinster’s second away win in their last nine GUINNESS PRO12 games but the Italian outfit’s winless streak extends from February when they beat Cardiff Blues at Stadio Monigo. Treviso earned a 24-24 draw when hosting Leinster last November but found themselves behind the eight ball from the third minute. The visitors retained and recycled the ball which enabled McGrath to barrel his way over for the seventh PRO12 try of his career. Jonathan Sexton duly added the conversion, although Hayward narrowed the deficit to 7-3 soon after with a penalty. Treviso then had a golden opportunity to push on as Sexton spent ten minutes in the sin-bin for a late tackle but they failed to capitalise on the numerical advantage. They did pile the pressure on their visitors but an excellent tackle from Dave Kearney won a penalty before a huge hit from Nacewa forced a knock-on from Luke McLean. Even once Sexton returned to action the Italians, who had only beaten Leinster once in a dozen previous encounters, thought they had scored a try after mauling their way over in the corner but the TMO ruled otherwise. In a concerning moment for the Leinstermen, Luke Fitzgerald was forced off with a shoulder injury but Fergus McFadden extended their advantage to seven points with a 33rd-minute penalty. And despite Treviso’s dominance in the first period, the Irishmen went into the break 15-3 ahead as, with the last play of that half, Sexton’s pinpoint cross-field kick following a line-out picked out Kearney who fed the ball inside to Nacewa for the try. The story of the first half was Leinster standing firm in the face of home pressure and that continued after the interval as Rhys Ruddock and McFadden forced a knock-on from the hosts in an attacking position. The visitors then punished the Italian profligacy on 56 minutes as lightning-quick hands from Jordi Murphy, Nacewa and Kearney released Conan to cross the whitewash. Ludovico Nitoglia was then sin-binned for a deliberate knock-on and Te’o capitalised – the centre making an incisive break and dotting down for the try his impressive performance deserved. With the bonus point wrapped up, the visitors took their foot off the pedal but still cruised to victory as Treviso’s winless run against Irish provinces since they beat Connacht in October 2013 continued. To buy tickets for the GUINNESS PRO12 Grand Final click here. Also follow us on Facebook, join the conversation on Twitter, sign up to our YouTube channel for extensive match highlights and sign up for our newsletter for regular updates on the GUINNESS PRO12.
