Benetton Rugby 10
Ulster 15
ULSTER RODE OUT an impressive storm from their hosts to push their way up to second in Pro14 Conference B with a hard-fought win in Treviso.
Dan McFarland’s men had to dig deep and limit the damage in a one-sided first-half, but pushed their way from 7-3 down to victory thanks to tries from Sean Reidy and Rob Herring.
The hooker, along with fellow Ireland November squad member Stuart McCloskey impressed as they bid to build form for the three Tests in the Aviva Stadium this month.
The home side got off to the ideal start, with hooker Hame Faiva rolling off the back of a third-minute maul and stepping between Billy Burns and James Hume to score.
Kieran Crowley’s side well and truly dominated the opening 40 minutes with a whopping 82% territory and 70% possession. The tempo of their play with ball in hand tested and stretched Ulster. So it was a bonus that the visitors not only kept Treviso from building on their lead, but that a 30th-minute long-range strike from Billy Burns cut the gap to 7-3 approaching half-time.
It was Hume, however, who took the plaudits for ensuring the deficit was still within a single score.
On his first senior start, the academy centre showed tremendous tenacity to target the ball when Tommaso Benvenuti appeared ready to celebrate a finish after another long multi-phase attack. The 20-year-old wrapped the wing in a tackle and forced the knock-on to keep the northern province within touching distance for the second half.
And Ulster were much-improved after the turnaround. Right from the kick-off, with McFarland’s words ringing in their ears, the black jerseys carried with much greater venom and intent. Reidy crossed the whitewash four minutes into the new half after a typically powerful burst through contact from Stuart McCloskey.
The screw was turning for the visitors now and the pressure brought a yellow card for Michele Lamaro. Ulster targeted the seven-man pack and showed their own attacking maul threat to allow Rob Herring touch down and push the scoreline to 7-15 by the time Burns added the extras.
Allen would kick the hosts back into losing bonus territory, but Ulster hung on to the lead to go into the mid-term Pro14 break four points off conference leaders Leinster, who play the Kings in South Africa tomorrow.
Scorers
Benetton Rugby
Tries: H Faiva
Conversions: T Allen (1/1)
Ulster
Tries: S Reidy, R Herring
Conversions: B Burns (1/2)
Penalties: B Burns (1/1)
