Munster hit seven tries and go top
MUNSTER are the new Guinness Pro12 leaders after coasting to a seven-try 46-3 win over Benetton Treviso at Thomond Park.
Andrew Conway and Ronan O’Mahony scored two tries each, Robin Copeland started the rout with a pushover effort and Darren O’Shea and replacement Alex Wootton grabbed their first senior scores for the province.
With man-of-the-match Tyler Bleyendaal pulling the strings from fly half in freezing temperatures, Munster led 22-3 at half-time. Dubliner Ian McKinley kicked Treviso’s only points.
Second row O’Shea sealed the bonus point in the 42nd minute, and energetic wingers O’Mahony and Wootton restarted the scoring with three touchdowns in the closing 16 minutes, as Rassie Erasmus’ men climbed a point clear of Leinster at the top of the table.
The hosts actually took a while to settle, former Leinster fly half McKinley booting Treviso into an eighth-minute lead before Bleyendaal responded on the quarter-hour mark.
A terrific five-metre scrum saw Munster march Treviso back over their line for No 8 Copeland to touch down in the 20th minute, with Bleyendaal converting for 10-3.
The New Zealander increased his influence with a well-weighted chip through which Conway pounced on for an unconverted try.
Darren Sweetnam did well to thwart Michael Tagicakibau from McKinley’s dangerous cross-field kick, before Munster extended their lead to 19 points with a brilliantly worked 34th-minute try.
Bleyendaal’s deft kick pass found O’Mahony, at full tilt, and he did well to link with the supporting Conway who sped along the left touchline for a classy seven-pointer.
O’Shea’s first Pro12 try, barely two minutes after the restart, saw him charge on to a Bleyendaal pass and the Kiwi threaded the difficult conversion for good measure.
The game had lulled before O’Mahony made it over in the corner in the 64th minute.
Wootton made an immediate impact off the bench, and the Ireland Sevens international rounded his man for the second time to notch a deserved try, converted by Ian Keatley.
Munster registered the seventh of the afternoon when Copeland fed O’Mahony. Munster: Conway, Sweetnam, Arnold, Taute, R O’Mahony, Bleyendaal, Williams, Kilcoyne, Marshall, J Ryan, Foley, D O’Shea, O’Donoghue, O’Donnell, Copeland. replaceMents: N Scannell, du Toit, Archer, Kleyn, B Holland, Lloyd, Keatley, Wootton. Benetton treviso: Hayward, Tagicakibau, Iannone, Sgarbi, Sperandio, McKinley, Tebaldi, de Marchi, Bigi, Zanusso, Gerosa, van Vuuren, Lazzaroni, Ferrarini, Barbini. replaceMents: Giazzon, Zani, Pasquali, Santamaria, Conforti, Francescato, Pratichetti, Odiete. referee: Mike Adamson (SRFU)