Ospreys crush Treviso
The Ospreys moved back into the RaboDirect PRO12 play-off places with a 41-10 win over Treviso at the Liberty Stadium.
Last Updated: 31/03/12 9:06pm
The Ospreys moved back into the RaboDirect PRO12 play-off places with a 41-10 win over Treviso at the Liberty Stadium.
A try double from Ashley Beck plus a further score from prop Paul James helped the hosts to a 27-3 lead shortly after the interval.
Treviso, for whom Kris Burton kicked a first-half penalty, replied with a Ludovico Nitoglia try but the Ospreys completed the scoring with Joe Bearman and replacement Tom Isaacs adding further tries as fly-half Dan Biggar finished with 16 points.
The hosts, buoyed by a superb win in Leinster last week and the return to the side of wing Shane Williams for his first game since January, started with plenty of tempo in their play.
Biggar and Burton exchanged early penalties before the Ospreys grabbed the first try.
The fly-half launched an up-and-under and did brilliantly to reclaim the ball in the air before swivelling to find Hanno Dirksen, who in turn passed inside for Beck to canter over for a converted score.
Another Biggar penalty rapidly followed and the Ospreys registered their second try before the half-hour mark through prop James.
It was his front-row colleague Adam Jones who set up the score, as the tighthead wriggled through a tackle on the edge of the Treviso 22 before passing to James when he perhaps could have scored himself.
James rumbled his way over for the score to be awarded by video referee Tony Rowlands, despite appearing to lose the ball as he was rolled over in Alberto Sgarbi's last-ditch tackle, for a 20-3 interval lead.
The Ospreys were again over the line just two minutes into the second half. Williams' chip ahead turned the Treviso defence, and when the ball was turned over the winger moved it wide for Andrew Bishop to put Beck in for his second try of the night, again converted by Biggar.
Weaved
Having spent almost the entire evening on the back foot Treviso then produced the try of the game as scrum-half Edoardo Gori capitalised on turnover ball to launch a thrilling attack from their own 22.
The Italy international weaved in and out of tackles to take play to the other end of the field where a wide pass from replacement Luke McLean saw Nitoglia cut inside some weak tackling for a try converted by fly-half Alberto Di Bernardo.
The Ospreys were being frustrated in their efforts to find a bonus-point clinching fourth try, and those frustrations increased when Treviso wing Tommaso Benvenuti's cynical knock on prevented a score in the corner.
The Italy cap saw yellow for his trouble and the Ospreys decision to take a scrum paid off as they marched Treviso over their own line for Bearman to dot down for another converted score, giving the Ospreys their first winning bonus point in the league this season.
The fifth try came seconds later as Williams, Beck and replacement Isaacs linked beautifully down the left flank for the latter to cross in the corner, with Biggar keeping his 100 per cent record with the boot intact by landing the touchline extras.