Ulster 32 Treviso 13:A CASE of job done for Ulster after seeing off a very one-dimensional Treviso challenge on a typically wet and cold night at Ravenhill and now they can firmly fix their gaze on next Saturday afternoon when Biarritz provide the opposition in a season-defining moment in their Pool Four European clash.
Of course it just wasn’t all about next weekend, Brian McLaughlin badly needed to get a result, after two rather humiliating festive outings against Leinster and Munster, to get Ulster’s league campaign heading in the right direction again and the bonus point – only their second try bonus of the campaign – being secured before the end of the first half certainly resuscitated hopes of his charges keeping themselves in the frame for a possible top four finish.
Yet the precision which Ulster brought to their first-half effort, with Andrew Trimble having a hugely influential game in punching holes through Treviso’s first up defence and acting as conduit for some admirable Ulster attacking, was lost in the second 40 minutes when the home side failed to register a single point and instead conceded a converted try to Treviso – to lose the second half 7-0 – while spending most of the half putting in a decent defensive shift. The loss of Trimble with what is probably no more than a tightened hamstring was a blow.
McLaughlin will have plenty to work on next week and will still be pleased overall at his side’s work-rate which saw first- half tries arrive courtesy of Ruan Pienaar, Nevin Spence, Adam D’Arcy and Rory Best, along with another well-rounded display from returned outhalf Ian Humphreys, who kicked 12 points and played a central role in Ulster’s match-securing opening 40 minutes.
With what will pretty much be McLaughlin’s starting line up against Biarritz, barring maybe Stephen Ferris and possibly Dan Tuohy, Ulster set about attacking Treviso where possible and the approach certainly paid dividends.
Ulster nevertheless lost some of their momentum – understandable, perhaps, on the back of their 32-6 half time lead – and Treviso managed to rumble Gonzalo Pedro over the line on 48 minutes and Willem De Waal’s conversion made it 32-13 to the home side.
ULSTER: A D’Arcy; A Trimble, N Spence, P Wallace, S Danielli; I Humphreys, R Pienaar; T Court, Ry Best (Capt), BJ Botha, J Muller, T Barker, C Henry, W Faloon, P Wannenburg. Replacements: Mcllwaine for Trimble (59), I Whitten for Spence (71), P Marshall for Pienaar (40), Young for Court (71), Brady for Best (71), Fitzpatrick for Botha (63), Tuohy for Barker (46), Ferris for Faloon (46).
TREVISO: K Burton; L Nitoglia, T Benvenuti, A Sgarbi, A Vilk; W De Waal, F Semenzato; I Fernandez Rouyet, L Ghiraldini (captain), L Cittadini; G Padrò , C Van Zyl; M Filippucci, A Zanni, M Vosawai. Replacements: Garcia for Benvenuti (45), Sbaraglini for Rouyet (56), Di Santo for Ghiraldini (56), Allori for Cittadini (56), Derbyshire for Filippucci (63), Minto for Vosawai (45).
