Morgan returns but Moriarty sent off in Ospreys loss

United Rugby Championship

Benetton (14) 31

Tries: Maile, Mendy, Ratave 2, Umaga Cons: Umaga 3

Ospreys (5) 19

Wales captain Jac Morgan returned from injury but could not prevent Ospreys’ United Rugby Championship (URC) play-off hopes suffering a big blow at Benetton.

Mark Jones’ side lost at Stadio Monigo and now have little margin for error if they are to sneak into the top eight.

Centre Keiran Williams scored tries in both halves but Ross Moriarty, who had earlier been sin-binned, was shown a red card in the 64th minute.

The Wales number eight was dismissed for a dangerous clearout when the score was 24-12, a costly offence that led to a Jack Walsh try being chalked off.

However, Benetton were worthy winners after scoring five tries in Treviso through Siua Maile, Ignacio Mendy, Onisi Ratave (2) and Jacob Umaga.

Replacement scrum-half Luke Davies scored Ospreys’ third in the 80th minute but they were unable to come up with another for a pair of bonuses.

Benetton opened the scoring through hooker Maile from a driving line-out but Williams responded in the 13th minute by running a hard line from close range to make it 7-5.

The Italians were denied two tries by TMO reviews but pressure eventually paid off in the 28th minute when Argentina international Mendy finished off a flowing backs move.

Ospreys scored two minutes after the restart when Williams got his second after good handling by midfield partner Owen Watkin and fly-half Walsh, who converted to make it 14-12.

However, they failed to gather the restart and paid the price when Fijian Ratave bulldozed his way over down the left.

Morgan was then introduced but Ospreys were reduced to 14 men when Moriarty was shown a yellow card for a dangerous tackle, soon followed by Ratave smashing over on the other flank for the bonus-point score.

The visitors thought they were back in it when Walsh went over but Moriarty dangerously cleared out prop Destiny Aminu in the build-up, a review upgrading his second yellow to a straight red.

Benetton escaped and sealed the win when fly-half Umaga was put over before yellow cards for lock Scott Scrafton for a deliberate knock-on and centre Malakai Fekitoa for a high tackle.

Morgan came off the bench in the 47th minute to make his first appearance since dislocating his left shoulder when scoring a try in Wales’ autumn series opener against Argentina.

The Lions flanker made just his second Ospreys outing of the campaign and was straight into the thick of the action with his usual defensive gusto, producing a textbook jackal just five minutes after coming on.

Morgan will hope to feature prominently in the run-in before leaving for Gloucester in the summer.

Benetton: Smith; Mendy, Odogwu, Fekitoa, Ratave; Umaga, Uren; Gallo, Maile, Zilocchi, Marini, Snyman, Favretto, Izekor, Lamaro (capt).

Replacements: Gasperini, Aminu, Gallorini, Scrafton, Midena, Fa’aso’o, Garbisi, Gallagher.

Yellow card: Scrafton 71, Fekitoa 72.

Ospreys: Hopkins; Kasende, Watkin, K Williams, Conbeer; Walsh (co-capt), Morgan-Williams; S Thomas, Parry (co-capt), Botha, Fender, R Smith, Ratti, Deaves, Moriarty.

Replacements: L Lloyd, Phillips, Henry, Sutton, Morgan, L Davies, Houston, Boshoff.

Yellow card: Moriarty 50.

Red card: Moriarty 64.

Referee: Ian Kenny (Scotland)

Assistants: Federico Vedovelli & Riccardo Bonatto (Italy)