[tag=image]http://origin-tournamentguides.ercrugby ... fff/58.gif[/tag][tag=content]Ulster marked Andrew Trimble’s 190th appearance for the province in style, running in seven tries in a 48-7 rout of a hapless Benetton Treviso outfit at the Kingspan Stadium, moving up to third in the table in the process.
Craig Gilroy crossed twice for the hosts, while Dan Tuohy, Sean Reidy, Paul Marshall, Peter Browne and Lewis Stevenson all notched a try each, with Stuart McCloskey and Peter Nelson adding 13 points between them from the tee.
Sam Christie scored a try just after half-time to at least give Treviso one score to celebrate, but it was a long and torrid night for the Italians who never looked like ever posing much of a challenge.
Before the game Trimble was welcomed onto the pitch to celebrate become Ulster’s most capped player ever, and his side were the ones who were the more positive early on.
That positivity was transferred into points as Dan Tuohy wriggled over from close range in the eighth minute to give Ulster the lead before a Stuart McCloskey penalty extended that lead to 10-0 three minutes later.
Treviso had a brief resurgence after McCloskey’s penalty, however Jayden Hayward missed a penalty to put them on the board, while the Kingspan crowd’s laughter at referee Lloyd Linton tripping over while awarding a penalty turned to bewildered groans as McCloskey missed a simple penalty of his own.
It was not to matter as Ulster seized full control of the second quarter of the match, starting with Sean Reidy dotting down from the back of a maul just after the 20 minute mark.
From there Treviso self-capitulated as first Rupert Harden was sin-binned for collapsing another dangerous looking maul on the half hour, before Robert Barbieri joined him two minutes later for impeding Paul Marshall.
Barbieri’s intervention proved pointless moments later as Marshall sniped over from close range from a scrum, which set the stage for Craig Gilroy to score a remarkable solo try to wrap up the bonus point on the stroke of half-time.
The winger received the ball on the halfway line in the centre of the park and his nimble footwork enabled him to evade several Treviso tacklers before speeding away from Hayward to score.
Surprisingly after the break it was the visitors who were the livelier and some good hands from Dean Budd and Chris Smylie sent fly-half Sam Christie over for the opening score of the second period.
That revival lasted only eight minutes as Ulster fought back and eventually got their first try of the second half when lock Peter Browne dived over under the posts in the 55th minute.
From there normal service was resumed, and in the 62nd minute, despite having a defender hanging onto him, Stuart McCloskey delivered a delightful delayed pass to send Gilroy over for his second of the night.
Ulster were now within a sniff of the half century mark, however their Italian visitors, despite being visibly tired, put up a formidable rearguard frustrating the home side and the crowd.
But they would have the last laugh as the maul, which had been a weapon all night, shunted into action once more five minutes from time, and Lewis Stevenson notched his first Ulster try from the back to put the gloss on the result.
The scorers
For Ulster
Tries: Tuohy, Reidy, P Marshall, Gilroy (2), Browne, Stevenson
Cons: McCloskey (3), Nelson (2)
Pen: McCloskey
For Treviso
Try: Christie
Con: Hayward
ULSTER RUGBY
(15-9) Louis Ludik, Andrew Trimble (Rory Scholes 61), Luke Marshall, Stuart McCloskey (Sam Arnold 66), Craig Gilroy, Peter Nelson, Paul Marshall (David Shanahan 63); (1-8) Andrew Warwick (Callum Black 54), Rob Herring (Paul Jackson 75), Wiehahn Herbst (Bronson Ross 65), Peter Browne (Lewis Stevenson 57), Dan Tuohy, Robbie Diack (Clive Ross 68), Sean Reidy, Roger Wilson.
BENETTON RUGBY TREVISO
(15-9) Jayden Hayward, Ludovico Nitoglia, Tommaso Iannone (James Ambrosini 65), Andrea Pratichetti, Simone Ragusi (Simone Ferrari 28), Sam Christie, Chris Smylie (Alberto Lucchese 75); (1-8) Matteo Zanusso (Alberto de Marchi 53), Roberto Santamaria (Luca Bigi 68), Rupert Harden (Simone Ferrari 40), Duncan Naudé (Jeff Montauriol 48), Tom Palmer (Abraham Steyn 66), Marco Barbini (Andrea de Marchi 53), Dean Budd, Robert Barbieri.
Yellow card: Rupert Harden (28), Robert Barbieri (30)
Man of the Match: Rob Herring (Ulster)
Attendance: 14,398
Referee: Lloyd Linton (SRU)[/tag]
Match Report: Ulster Rugby 48-7 Benetton Rugby Treviso
Moderator: Moderators
