RABO DIRECT PRO12: Treviso 14 Munster 35:IT'S NOT that difficult to imagine Ronan O'Gara, Peter O'Mahony and Simon Zebo all lining out in a Test match at the same time, at least not on the evidence of Munster's latest offering on the road in Treviso on Saturday.
A first away since September for Tony McGahan’s men, and at the heart of it all were the three men who would appear to be knocking harder than most on Declan Kidney’s door.
Zebo was the headline grabber, his brace of tries ensuring the bonus point for Munster, the first team to touch down four times at the Stadio Monigo this season, apart from Treviso themselves.
That’s six in three games for the 21-year old, including his consolation score for the Irish Wolfhounds against the English Saxons. Both his tries on Saturday had the hallmark of an international class winger.
For the first, he was both creator and finisher, unlocking the home defence with a perfectly weighted kick that fell into the lap of Danny Barnes, before gathering the return pass to slide home.
His second didn’t arrive until a minute before time, but it was worth the wait as he displayed power, pace and some nifty footwork to outfox his opposite winger before rounding the fullback as if he wasn’t there.
“Simon is certainly a very important strike player for us,” said McGahan of the young Cork man. “He’s been terrific for us this season and he took his opportunities very well today.
“The important thing for us is the work rate which he brings to the game, which coupled together with his finishing makes him a very important member of our team.”
That Zebo failed to collect the man of the match award told something of the contribution made by O’Gara, who was viewed as top dog by the Italian media core.
Even the partisan local supporters were nodding in appreciation as Ireland’s record scorer kicked everything that came his way for a personal tally of 15 points.
If he felt as though a point was needed to be made in the direction of Kidney ahead of this week’s team selection for the game against Italy, then he certainly made one, as did O’Mahony.
The contribution of Munster’s untamed openside was perhaps best judged by the reaction afforded to him by the home support. The whistles and jeers spoke volumes of his outstanding work at the breakdown, where he represented a constant thorn for the home side.
“Peter is gathering momentum and improving every time he steps out onto the pitch,” said McGahan of O’Mahony. “He’s a young man who is certainly going places, not only at provincial level but also on the international stage.”
Of another who is thought to be “going places”, Munster confirmed that Tomás O’Leary has not yet signed a contract with Perpignan, despite reports to the contrary emanating from French TV on Friday night. There is, however, an offer on the table from the Top 14 side. Munster have also made the Irish international an offer, and he is expected to make up his mind early this week.
McGahan opted not to comment on the situation when asked, preferring to concentrate on the positives of a successful Italian job, another of which was the return to action of Felix Jones following six months on the sidelines.
“Everyone is delighted to see Felix back,” concluded McGahan. “He’s such an important member of the squad, and he’s worked exceptionally hard to put himself back in a position to play again.
“He gathered 20 minutes of game time at the end and we’re certainly looking to involve him over the next three weeks.”
TREVISO:L Nitoglia; T Iannone, E Galon (G Garcia, 56), A Sgarbi, B Williams; W de Waal, F Semenzato; Muccignat (A Allori, 70), F Sbaraglini (E Ceccato, 50), P Di Santo (I Fernandez-Rouyet, 50); A Pavanello (capt), C Van Zyl; P Derbyshire (V Bernabo, 41), B Vermaak (G Padro, 32), M Filippucci.
Yellow cards:Barnabo 69.
MUNSTER: D Hurley; J Murphy (F Jones, 60), D Barnes, L Mafi, S Zebo; R O'Gara (S Deasy, 75), T O'Leary (D Williams, 56); W Du Preez (M Horan, 50), D Varley (D Fogarty, 75), BJ Botha (S Archer, 70); D Ryan, M O'Driscoll (capt; B Holland, 70); D O'Callaghan (T O'Donnell, 68), P O'Mahony, J Coughlan. Yellow card: O'Driscoll 40, Zebo 45.
Referee: N Hennessy.
