Munster stay top

Munster consolidated their position at the top of the Magners League on Friday with a convincing 39-13 victory over Benetton Treviso at Thomond Park.

James Coughlan, Damien Varley and David Wallace each helped themselves to a converted try in the first half as the hosts took a 27-3 lead, before further scores from Keith Earls and Mike Sherry ensured the bonus point.

Stand-in captain Ronan O'Gara hit the target every time, scoring 14 points from six successful kicks, while opposite number Chris Burton kicked two penalties and converted Ludovico Nitoglia's try.

Although Marcus Horan joined a lengthy injury list earlier in the week, Munster have strength in depth and displayed it to full effect with a robust first-half performance.

After referee David Jones pinged the Treviso scrum, O'Gara kicked a fourth-minute penalty from just outside the 22, which Burton then matched with a well-struck effort from the left.

Munster responded by turning down a kickable penalty and O'Gara instead went for the corner - a series of forward drives ending with scrum-half Peter Stringer sending number eight Coughlan over.

Pressure

Treviso's scrum was also put under pressure at times, something which resulted in the sin-binning of props Franco Sbaraglini and Augusto Allori for repeated offences.

Sbaraglini popped up out of a retreating Treviso scrum in the 20th minute, with Munster using their man advantage to work a maul from a lineout, which ended with hooker Varley going over.

After Munster had knocked on from a missed Burton penalty, Treviso made little ground from a five-metre scrum and Wian du Preez and John Hayes combined to win a clearing penalty.

The infringement that saw Allori penalised - pulling down a scrum - allowed Munster to set up camp in the visitors' 22, the move ending with man-of-the-match Wallace touching down.

O'Gara then followed up the conversion with a late penalty.

Burton closed the gap with his second penalty, but when O'Gara scooped up a loose ball in midfield, Munster quickly turned defence into attack once more.

Wallace sprinted towards the 22 and linked with Earls, who made it over in the left corner.

When du Preez was sin-binned for a scrum offence around the hour mark, it was Treviso's turn to be in the ascendant.

Two minutes later, the Italians played the ball out to the right where Brendan Williams passed for Nitoglia to nip past Earls and score in the corner.

However, Munster were soon back on top and a reverse pass from Duncan Williams in injury time sent fellow replacement Sherry darting towards the try-line for their fifth of the night.