RaboDirect PRO12: Dominic Ryan scores hat-trick as Leinster thrash Treviso 40-5

Sean Cronin: Helped himself to two tries for Leinster

Dominic Ryan: Leinster flanker touched down for a hat-trick of tries

Flanker Dominic Ryan helped himself to a hat-trick of tries as Leinster thrashed Benetton Treviso 40-5 to move within two points of second-placed Glasgow Warriors in the RaboDirect PRO12.

Hooker Sean Cronin weighed in with a couple of scores and Leo Auva'a also touched down in a comprehensive triumph with the visitors' sole success being an unconverted second half try from Ludovico Nitoglia.

Leinster hit the front on ten minutes; the industrious Ryan reached over in the corner at the end of a long spell of play on the right wing, although Ian Madigan was off target with a difficult conversion attempt.

Number two arrived three minutes later as Cronin ran through on the left side following a couple of outstanding breaks by his Ireland colleagues Luke Fitzgerald and Fergus McFadden and Ryan added his second of the evening midway through the half following a well-orchestrated lineout drive.

Cronin joined him in bagging a brace when he finished off a sweeping move in front of the posts on 27 minutes and, with Madigan converting, the half-time lead stood at 26-0.

Ryan completed his treble six minutes after the restart, opportunistically breaking away from a maul before touching down - Madigan adding a fine conversion from the touchline.

But Treviso stuck manfully to their task and were rewarded with the score that their efforts deserved when wing Nitoglia produced a sharp finish to ground the ball in the right corner at the end of a fine team move.

But it was Leinster who had the final say on 69 minutes, Auva'a, a late call-up to the replacements bench, going over to the right of the posts with Fergus McFadden converting in the absence of Madigan.