PRO 12 LEAGUE/Ulster 12 Treviso 23:IT WAS a shambles from start to finish for Ulster, who surprisingly fell to their third successive league defeat to end the first segment of league games with only three successes from six outings.

Ulster were bullied, bossed and battered up front, where their scrum came under immense pressure and coughed up a penalty try in the endgame of the first half.

Despite Pedrie Wannenburg’s two late tries, it was the Italians’ first win at Ravenhill and their first ever three league wins on the bounce, with Kristopher Burton registering 18 points.

The opening 40 minutes were basically a catalogue of errors from Ulster. Burton landed a sixth-minute penalty. After 31 minutes and a series of scrums and a third penalty, Declan Fitzpatrick was binned only to be bizarrely replaced by hooker Nigel Brady, who packed down at loosehead. The result was a penalty try converted by Burton to make it 10-0 at the break.

Burton added a second penalty just before the hour mark. It got worse for the home side as replacement fullback Adam D’Arcy’s kick through landed in Burton’s arms and the outhalf ran in unopposed from just over halfway, which he then converted to give the Italians a 20-0 lead after just over an hour.

Pedrie Wannenburg went over for Ulster following a Paul Marshall pass. Humphreys converted and Ulster trailed by 13 points after 65 minutes. Wannenburg struck again on 73 minutes from a lineout but Burton had the final say with an injury-time penalty.

ULSTER: J Payne; C Gilroy, D Cave, N Spence, I Whitten; I Humphreys, P Marshall; D Fitzpatrick, A Kyriacou, J Cronin, T Barker, D Tuohy, P Wannenburg, M McComish, C Henry (c). Replacements: A D’arcy for J Payne (14 mins), N Brady for M McComish (40 mins), P Jackson for I Whitten (half-time), M McComish for N Brady (48 mins), L Stevenson for T Barker (55 mins), A Macklin for J Cronin (61 mins); N Brady for K Kyriacou (68 mins), R Diack for M McComish (71 mins). Yellow card: D Fitzpatrick 38-48.

TREVISO: L Nitoglia; T Iannone, E Galon, L Morisi, B Williams; K Burton, T Botes; M Rizzo, E Ceccato, L Cittadini, A Pavenello (capt), V Bernabo, F Minto, B Vermaak, M Filippucci. Replacements: D Vidal for E Ceccato; M Vosawai for M Filipucci and A Scarbi for E Galon (all 54 mins), M Muccignat for M Rizzo (68 mins).

Referee: Stefano Penne (FIR).