Ospreys thrash struggling Treviso

Editor

Ospreys kept their faint Champions Cup qualification hopes alive following a 47-10 dismantling of 14-man Treviso on Friday.

Steve Tandy's men have endured a disappointing season but controlled this encounter against the Italian strugglers and were 21-3 up by the interval. 

Jayden Hayward kicked a penalty for Treviso but tries from Dan Evans, Dan Baker and Owen Watkin gave the hosts a comfortable buffer at half-time. 

That was increased through Olly Cracknell, Hanno Dirksen, Evans and Ben John touchdowns in the second period which secured an easy win. 

Benetton managed a consolation effort via Alberto Sgarbi but it was yet another disappointing evening for the basement dwellers, who had Dean Budd sent off late on for a second yellow card. 

The Ospreys needed a bonus-point victory to maintain their hopes of achieving a top-six finish and they started well at the Liberty Stadium. 

Josh Matavesi produced an impressive charge early on to signal their intentions before they scored the first try when Evans weaved his way across the whitewash. 

Hayward responded from the tee for the visitors but the home side had the power and finesse to consistently trouble Treviso's defence. 

Baker's try, following a dominant maul, displayed the Welsh region's physicality while Watkin's touchdown, after a well-timed Dan Biggar pass, showed another aspect of their repertoire. 

Biggar was on target with both conversions as the hosts moved 18 points in front at the break. All they required in the second half for a successful evening's work was a fourth score and a yellow card for Treviso's Budd aided their chances. 

The Italian outfit initially held out valiantly but the pressure was unrelenting and a second yellow, this time for number eight Robert Barbieri, saw the defence breached. 

Down to 13 men, Treviso conceded twice in quick succession. Cracknell was the first man over from close range before a brilliant team move resulted in Dirksen crossing the whitewash. 

With the result secured, Ospreys eased off the intensity and that allowed the visitors to reduce the arrears through Sgarbi. However, they had Budd sent off for a second yellow card and late tries from Evans and John rubberstamped a comfortable win.

The scorers:

For Ospreys:
Tries: Evans 2, Baker, Watkin, Cracknell, Dirksen, John
Cons: Biggar 6

For Treviso:
Try: Sgarbi
Con: Christie 
Pen: Hayward 
Red Card: Budd
Yellow Card: Barbieri

Ospreys: 15 Dan Evans, 14 Hanno Dirksen, 13 Owen Watkin, 12 Josh Matavesi, 11 Eli Walker, 10 Dan Biggar, 9 Rhys Webb (c), 8 Dan Baker, 7 James King, 6 Olly Cracknell, 5 Rynier Bernardo, 4 Adam Beard, 3 Dmitri Arhip, 2 Sam Parry, 1 Nicky Smith
Replacements: 16 Scott Baldwin, 17 Gareth Thomas, 18 Aaron Jarvis, 19 Rory Thornton, 20 Dan Lydiate, 21 Brendon Leonard, 22 Sam Davies, 23 Ben John

Treviso: 15 Jayden Hayward, 14 Angelo Esposito, 13 Luca Morisi, 12 Alberto Sgarbi, 11 Ludovico Nitoglia, 10 Sam Christie, 9 Edoardo Gori, 8 Robert Barbieri, 7 Alessandro Zanni (c), 6 Marco Lazzaroni, 5 Jeff Montauriol, 4 Filo Paulo, 3 Simone Ferrari, 2 Luca Bigi, 1 Alberto De Marchi
Replacements: 16 Ornel Gega, 17 Matteo Zanusso, 18 Salesi Manu, 19 Dean Budd, 20 Abraham Steyn, 21 Francesco Minto, 22 Chris Smylie, 23 James Ambrosini

Referee: David Wilkinson (Ireland)
Assistant Referees: Dan Jones (Wales), Martyn Lewis (Wales)
TMO: Tim Hayes (Wales)