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Bonus-point win for Tigers in Treviso

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Leicester Tigers completed the perfect Italian job with a 36-3 bonus-point victory over Benetton Treviso in Champions Cup Pool 4.

Tigers went into the game at Stadio di Monigo on the back of a bonus-point win against Stade Francais, and produced an efficient performance at a wind and rain-lashed Treviso to return with the maximum points for a second successive game.
 
A first-half penalty try got the ball rolling before tries just before half-time for Telusa Veainu and Peter Betham, their first in Europe, set Tigers well on their way.
 
But they had to wait until the final quarter of the game to claim the bonus point through a lovely jinking run by Tonga international Veianu.
 
And with time almost up, Greg Bateman bounced his way through tired Treviso tackles to score his first try for the club.
 
Tommy Bell and Veainu returned to the Tigers backline to make their Champions Cup debut. Bell came in for Owen Williams at fly-half while Veainu slotted in at full-back with Mat Tait partnering Matt Smith at centre. In a rejigged backline, Betham moved to the wing while Adam Thompstone replaced Niki Goneva on the opposite flank.
 
Tom Croft returned to the pack after missing the Round One win over Stade Francais with a back injury.  International quartet Matias Aguero, Dan Cole, Ben Youngs and Seremaia Bai were among the replacements, alongside club captain Ed Slater.
 
The game kicked off in a biting wind while heavy rain during the morning had stopped by kick-off but made for a soft pitch and difficult handling conditions.
 
Tigers came under pressure at an early lineout. They defended the drive to force Treviso out of the 22, where James Ambrosini sat in the pocket but miscued his drop goal attempt wide.
 
At the other end, Treviso were pinged for going of their feet and Bell give Tigers a 3-0 lead with his first points in Europe for Tigers.
 
A missed tackle in midfield allowed Treviso to make ground down their right flank but Ludoico Nitoglia knocked-on under Bell’s tackle and Sam Harrison cleared to touch. Harrison was quick to read Ambrosini’s kick ahead and fed Thompstone, who angled a brilliant kick to pin Treviso deep in their own 22.
 
Tigers had the hosts under huge pressure at a 5m scrum and just as they looked destined to cross referee Mathieu Raynal blew for a penalty. Tigers were awarded a penalty at the second scrum and the referee showed Rupert Harden a yellow card. Filippo Filippetto came on for the next scrum with wing Tommaso Iannone going off.
 
Treviso infringed at the third scrum and this time referee Raynal went under the posts for the penalty try. Bell’s conversion gave Leicester a 10-0 lead midway through the half.
 
Tigers then put together a lovely move to create space for Croft on the right wing. Play came back inside for Bell to make a break but his offload was touched away from the supporting Dom Barrow and Treviso cleared.
 
Harden returned to the field without further addition to the score.
 
Good work by Crane on the floor won a penalty that allowed Bell to find touch deep in the Treviso 22. Tigers won a succession of penalties to maintain the pressure and prompt the referee to speak to Treviso about their discipline.
 
And Tigers eventually made the pressure pay with a lovely second try. The forwards ground out the field position before Bell slid a clever kick behind the advancing Treviso defence for Veainu to score. It gave Tigers a 15-0 lead three minutes before the break.
 
Tigers made a mess of the restart, gifting Treviso possession. And when they were pinged for not rolling, Ambrosini kicked Treviso’s first points.
 
But there was still time for Tigers to score their third try right on half-time. This time Veainu turned the provider, floating a well-judged pass to Betham on the right flank, who had the pace to see off three would-be tacklers and dive in at the corner. Bell’s touchline conversion gave Leicester a 22-3 half-time lead.
 
The game was slow to get going in the second half, but Tigers had a man advantage 10 minutes after the restart when lock Jean-Francois Montauriol saw yellow for a barge on Harrison.
 
Tigers introduced Ben Youngs and Lachlan McCaffrey replacing Harrison and Crane. And they maintained their momentum with a driving maul, which took Tigers up to within 5m. With the advantage of a penalty, Tigers moved play to the right where Veainu acrobatically dived for the corner. It was referred to the TMO who ruled Veainu lost control in touching down.
 
At other end, brilliant work by McCaffrey under the shadow of his posts drew a penalty to end a threatening Treviso attack.
 
Ben Youngs tapped and went to take Tigers up to halfway. Play was moved to the left where Thompstone fed replacement lock Slater, but the pass was deemed forward.
 
The game became bogged down in handling errors and the referee's whistle as the clock ticked into the final quarter, and Tigers struggled to get a flow to their game.
 
Eventually the bonus-point try did come, to the relief of the hundreds of travelling Tigers fans, with 13 minutes remaining. Tigers were struggling to make headway in the Treviso 22 when Veainu mopped up loose ball and danced a line through three tackles to score under the posts. Bell added the extras to give Tigers a 29-3 lead.
 
Tigers threatened a fifth try when Barrow burst through a gap, only to be stopped by a high tackle. Seremaia Bai, on for Bell, attempted to field his own kick ahead but it was dotted down in goal by Luke McLean and play returned for the penalty.
 
With time almost up, replacement hooker Bateman’s barrelling run saw him bounce through a couple of tackles to score under the posts. Bai's conversion with the last kick set the seal on the win.

Match Details

HT ScoreHalf Time Score

BEN 3-22 LEI

FT ScoreFull Time Score

BEN 3-36 LEI

Attendance

2,300

Referee

Mathieu Raynal

Benetton Rugby
Benetton Rugby
3

Full Time

Leicester Tigers
Leicester Tigers
36

Match Stats

Benetton Rugby
Leicester Tigers
Possession
37%
63%
Territory
32%
68%
Penalties Conceded
17
7
Yellow Cards
2
0
Red Cards
0
0
Tackles Won
135/154 88%
88/95 93%
Scrums Won
4/4 100%
6/8 75%
Lineouts Won
9/9 0%
15/15 0%

Player Stats

Benetton Rugby
Leicester Tigers
Leicester Tigers
TCDP
15Telusa Veainu2T
14Peter Betham1T
13Mathew Tait
12Matt Smith
11Adam Thompstone
10Tommy Bell3C1P
9Sam Harrison
1Marcos Ayerza
2Tom Youngs
3Fraser Balmain
4Dom Barrow
5Michael Fitzgerald
6Tom Croft
7Brendon O'Connor
8
16Greg Bateman1T
17Matias Aguero
18Dan Cole
19Ed Slater
20Lachlan McCaffrey
21Ben Youngs
22Seremaia Bai1C
23George Catchpole

Tigers Lineup

Starting XV

Replacements

Matias Aguero
17
Matias Aguero
Ed Slater
19
Ed Slater
Lachlan McCaffrey
20
Lachlan McCaffrey
Seremaia Bai
22
Seremaia Bai

Opposition Lineup

Starting XV

15
Luke McLean
14
Ludovico Nitoglia
13
Enrico Bacchin
12
Sam Christie
11
Tommaso Iannone
10
James Ambrosini
9
Edoardo Gori
1
Matteo Zanusso
2
3
Rupert Harden
4
5
Jean-Francis Montauriol
6
Marco Barbini
7
Francesco Minto
8
Braam Steyn

Replacements

16
Davide Giazzon
17
Matteo Muccignat
18
Filippo Fillippeto
19
Dean Budd
20
Marco Lazzaroni
21
Alberto De Marchi
22
Chris Smylie
23
Andrea Pratichetti
posteamteam namepldwdlfadifftftatblbpts
1
Leicester Tigers
Leicester TigersLEI6501185919424113023
4
Benetton Rugby
Benetton RugbyBEN600653233-180833000
Form Guide
Form
LDDWL
Last Match
Lost to Montpellier Hérault Rugby 25-31
Past Meeting
Won 26-10
Form
Last Match
Past Meeting
Form
LWWLL
Last Match
Lost to Gloucester Rugby 25-27
Past Meeting
Lost 10-26

Matchday Live

Benetton Rugby3
Benetton Rugby
Leicester Tigers36
Leicester Tigers
Full Time