Gunners order Italian takeaway
Stuart Hogg celebrated his first show at stand-off by inspiring his men to a bonus-point triumph.
He snatched the opening try – then slotted a string of crucial pinpoint kicks to snuff out the threat of the stubborn hosts.
The game was in the balance until Hogg calmly converted sub Rory Clegg’s clinching touchdown four minutes from time.
And though it wasn’t their most polished display, they flew straight back home with the points in the bag to enjoy New Year in Scotland.
Hogg and Co had been given a wake-up jolt after letting the home side surge ahead after just two
The visitors struggled to find fluency. In particular, they had problems getting on the same wavelength as local ref Elia Rizzo.
He was a last-minute stand-in for Welshman Ben Whitehouse, whose flight from London was fogged off, and the rookie’s inexperience shone through. But they got a break when Hogg sprinted 80 metres for a nervesettling try. Three minutes later, Scotland mate Tommy Seymour finished off a slick move for another, with both converted by Hogg.
Treviso came back strongly from their double - whammy but Warriors were reprieved as Tommy Allan sent a simple penalty wide.
And they capitalised by racing upfield to set up a try for flanker Adam Ashe after Tim Swinson was hauled down just short.
Ashe returned to the spotlight for the wrong reasons when his wild pass bounced over his own line. Pete Murchie slipped as he tried to mop Gutsy Gunners ground out a crucial revenge victory in Parma to kick-start their quest to claim a Pro12 top-six slot.
They had been stunned by Zebre at Murrayf ield earlier in the campaign but turned the tables at the end of a rollercoaster year.
And the win boosts caretaker boss Duncan Hodge’s hopes of getting the job full time. Two
Hogg continued his fine sequence with the boot, only to see sub Ian McKinley clawing back three points on the hour.
And the warning bells became deafening as McKinley added the extras to Budd’s close-range score.
But Warriors got it right when it mat tered most , Rory Clegg twisting over after a great run by Sean Lamont. Duncan Weir penalties and his conversion after Chris Dean’s tr y just before the interval gave Edinburgh a six- point half-time lead.
Dean was back in the thick of the action after the restart, setting up a raid with a superb chip. Edinburgh kept up the pressure and were rewarded when Will Helu gathered a Blair Kinghorn through ball and cruised over.
The home side upped the pace and playmaker Carlo Canna darted through for a touchdown.
But another two Weir penalties meant Andries Van Schalkwyk’s late try for Zebre was a consolation.