Pro12: Benetton Treviso 23-3 Connacht
- Published
Treviso ran in two second-half tries as they secured their second win of the Pro12 season by beating Connacht, who slumped to their fourth defeat in five.
Alberto Di Bernardo landed three penalties in the first half to see the Italian side go in 9-0 up at the break.
Alessandro Zanni touched down on 52 minutes, Tobias Botes converting, and then Luca Morisi crossed on 79, with Botes again adding the two points.
Fly-half Dan Parks scored Connacht's only points with a 51st-minute penalty.
The result at Stadio Monigo leaves Connacht in the bottom two on four points, the same as bottom side Edinburgh, who are in action on Sunday.
Connacht had suffered three successive losses since their opening-round win over Zebre and their hopes of ending that sequence in Treviso suffered an early blow when Paul O'Donohoe, making his first start of the season at scrum-half, was sin-binned just seven minutes in for handling in the ruck.
Di Bernardo slotted over the resulting penalty to open the scoring and two more penalties from the Italy international put the home side on course for victory.
Parks, having missed his only penalty chance of the first half, reduced the deficit to 9-3 with a 51st-minute kick but within 60 seconds Treviso crossed for their first try when Zanni touched down.
Botes added the extras to make it 16-3 and, although the home side lost Robert Barbieri to a yellow card in the 68th minute, Connacht could not capitalise and Benetton added another converted try through Morisi late on.
Benetton Treviso: Williams; Nitoglia, Campagnaro, Sgarbi, Loamanu; Di Bernardo, Gori; Rizzo, Ceccato, De Marchi; Pavanello, Fuser; Favaro, Zanni, Barbieri, Fernandez-Rouyet.
Replacements: Morisi for Campagnaro (78), McLean for Di Bernardo (50), Botes for Gori (44), Fernandez-Rouyet for De Marchi (30), Bernabo for Favaro (70), Budd for Zanni (37), Di Santo for Fernandez-Rouyet (68).
Not Used: Maistri.
Sin Bin: Barbieri (69).
Connacht: Duffy; O'Halloran, Poolman, E. Griffin, Carr; Parks, O'Donohoe; Ah You, Henry, Loughney; Muldowney, Clarke; Browne, Heenan, Naoupu.
Replacements: Carty for Parks (54), Marmion for O'Donohoe (54), Rael for Henry (59), White for Loughney (28), Muldoon for Heenan (59), Fifita for Naoupu (66).
Not Used: Wilkinson, Healy.
Sin Bin: O'Donohoe (7).
Att: 5,000
Referee: Neil Hennessy (WRFU).
- Published28 September 2013
- Published25 September 2013