Heineken Cup Pool 5: Leicester ran out 34-3 winners against Treviso at Welford Road

The hosts capitalised on the Italians accruing three yellow cards during the match - Thomas Waldrom, Tom Youngs and Blain Scully all going over to put them on top after a slow start.

However, the bonus point looked to have slipped through their grasp until wing Adam Thompstone dashed over on the final play to seal what could prove to be a vital extra point.

Toby Flood converted all four tries, adding two first-half penalties while Tobias Botes kicked Treviso's only points.

The visitors made life difficult for Leicester before the break with their direct running style but lost the ball in contact too often and trailed 13-0 at half-time.

Leicester came close to scoring in the 14th minute after Treviso lost the ball in the Tigers 22 and scrum-half Ben Youngs launched the ball upfield. Winger Scully won the race to the ball but was forced into touch by Christian Loamanu.

Flood, however, put Tigers ahead with his first penalty three minutes later and the English champions were left cursing pedantic French referee Pascal Gauzere who pulled Scully back in the act of scoring because a tap penalty had not been taken from the right spot.

Treviso lost fly-half Mat Berquist, who had missed with a long range penalty early on, with an ankle injury and moments later were down to 14 men after scrum-half Botes was sin-binned for a shirt pull in front of the posts.

Flood kicked the penalty and, with just two minutes of the half left, Waldrom forced his way over after a second line-out and drive, with Flood adding the conversion.

Leicester started the second half strongly but had a try disallowed by the video referee after just four minutes. Lock Graham Kitchener stole a lineout and was driven over but after going upstairs the referee awarded Treviso a penalty.

Botes put Treviso on the scoreboard with a 47th minute penalty but the visitors then shot themselves in the foot when captain Antonio Pavanello and winger Loamanu received yellow cards in the space of two minutes, the former for repeated offences, the latter for a high tackle on Scully.

They paid the price immediately, hooker Youngs forcing his way over following a line-out and drive, with Flood adding the conversion.

And in the 65th minute Scully got Leicester's third try after a quickly taken tap penalty. Flood converted from the right touchline to make it 27-3.

It looked like Leicester would fail to land a crucial bonus point but in the final minute winger Thompstone stepped inside a defender to score his side's fourth try, with Flood adding the conversion.