Pro12 rugby: Treviso 30-10 Edinburgh

Nick De Luca in action for Edinburgh. Picture: SNS

Scorers: Treviso: Tries: Vosawai, Rizzo, Favaro. Cons: Di Bernardo 3 Pens: Di Bernardo 3. Edinburgh: Try: Scott Con: Laidlaw Pen: Laidlaw

Matt Scott scored his second try of the season for the visitors whilst Greig Laidlaw added five points from the tee, but it wasn’t enough to salvage even a losing bonus point. For Benetton, Manoa Vosawai, Michele Rizzo and Simone Favaro were all amongst the tries, whilst Alessandro Di Bernardo kicked the rest of their points.

With Treviso so strong at home, the result didn’t come as any great surprise for the travelling party, who have grown accustomed to defeat on the road.

However, there was certainly a feeling of what might have been amongst Edinburgh ranks, especially after events contrived to see them leading 10-0 after just 15 first-half minutes, and warming nicely to the challenge.

Laidlaw had them on the scoreboard three minutes in and was called upon not long after to convert a terrific try by Scott.

Tim Visser was architect in chief, accelerating through a tiny chink in the home defence, drawing the fullback and before finally unleashing the 22-year old who had far too much pace for the cover defence.

Treviso, for their part, missed two kickable penalties before finally getting on the scoreboard ten minutes later courtesy of DI Bernardo’s first successful effort of the evening. And from there, things started to go rapidly downhill for the visitors.

From the restart, Dougie Fife was lucky to escape a yellow card for taking his man out in the air.

Tom Brown, then, was less fortunate when his outstretched leg stopped a full speed Paul Derbyshire in his tracks, and was duly binned. With a one man advantage for the final six minutes of the first half, Benetton tagged on another penalty and then a converted try when giant number eight Vosawai (on for the injured Derbyshire) barged over the line from close range.

Di Bernardo converted and Edinburgh went down the tunnel trailing 13-10. Undeterred, however, the visitors came storming out of the blocks in the second half, and Scott so very nearly collected his second try after once again combining magnificently with Visser.

Unfortunately, he just failed to gather his chip ahead following a superb angled run, and the chance went a begging.

Had Edinburgh scored then, one got the feeling they might have gone on to add a few more, such was their exuberance.

However, as the rain began to fall, Treviso started to go through the gears, testing Edinburgh’s appetite for battle.

And although they defended spiritedly, they were unable to contain their hosts during a mid-half purple patch.

Bernardo extended Benetton’s lead with another penalty before Rizzo landed the hammer blow with a try on the hour mark, the conversion taking the score out to 23-10.

Treviso lost both Edoardo Gori and Ignacio Fernandez-Rouyet to the bin in the final ten minutes, but even with 13 men they were too good for Edinburgh, and Favaro capped the win with try number three deep into stoppage time.

Treviso: B Williams (L McLean 48); L Nitoglia (E Gori 63), T Benvenuti, G la Grange (K Burton 33-40), C Loamanu; A di Bernardo, F Semenzato; A de Marchi (M Rizzo 50), L Ghiraldini (capt) (G Maistri 72), L Cittadini (I Fernandez-Rouyet 50); F Minto, V Bernabo; S Favaro, A Zanni, P Derbyshire (M Vosawai 35)

Edinburgh: T Brown; D Fife, N de Luca, M Scott, T Visser; H Leonard (P Francis 69), G Laidlaw (capt) (S Kennedy 41); A Jacobsen, R Ford (S Lawrie 60), G Cross (J Yapp 60); G Gilchrist, S Cox; S McInally, H Watson, N Talei (P Parker 73).

Referee: M Patton (Ire).