Munster recorded an opening round win in the Guinness PRO12 tonight defeating Benetton Treviso 18-13 in Irish Independent Park.

With the Italians leading by a point at the break an improved second half performance saw Anthony Foley’s side regain the lead and a subsequent win with two tries from Captain CJ Stander.

Centre and academy player Rory Scannell was quick to impose himself on the game with some early attacking breaks and Munster secured a penalty on the Treviso 22 with Keatley kicking the first points of the season after 6 minutes.

Four minutes later Treviso completed an attacking phase with flanker Dean Budd shrugging off the tackle of CJ Stander to dive over in the corner. Fullback Jayden Hayward added the extras and Treviso led 7-3.

A string of errors denied Munster any momentum and with the visitors fronting a physical challenge try scoring opportunities were limited in the opening 20. However, the Munster scrum aided the cause and in securing the penalty advantage Keatley reduced the gap when successfully kicking one of two attempts.

As the first half closed out Treviso mounted a final attack and only for a scrambling defence and a crucial Shane Monahan tackle the visitors were denied any advantage and the score remained 6-7 at the break.

At the start of the second half Munster turned it around when Dave O’Callaghan presented the ball for a quick pick and go for man of the match Stander who crashed over from close range to put Munster ahead 11-7 after 46 minutes.

Hayward missed the next penalty chance to close the gap before the Munster number 8 crossed for his second try of the night.

Ian Keatley and Shane Monahan both played a part in the build-up to Stander’s try, which saw him run in from 10 metres out.

Keatley added the extras to further extend the lead to 18-7 but the Italians deservedly salvaged a losing bonus point with two penalties from the boot of Hayward in the final 10 minutes.

After the game Head Coach Anthony Foley was quick to praise his young centre partnership of Rory Scannell and academy colleague David Johnston who was making his PRO12 debut.

PRO12 Round 1 round-up: Tyler Bleyendaal, David Johnston, John Madigan and Shane Monahan all made their PRO12 debuts for Munster. Dave Foley made his 50th appearance for the province while CJ Stander picked up his first MOTM award of the season, after claiming seven MOTM awards in 2014/15. It was the first time Mike Sherry played in the PRO12 since November 2013.

Munster: Felix Jones; Andrew Conway, David Johnston (Cian Bohane 69), Rory Scannell, Shane Monahan; Ian Keatley (Tyler Bleyendaal 55), Duncan Williams (Cathal Sheridan 72); James Cronin (John Ryan 68), Mike Sherry, BJ Botha (Stephen Archer 64); John Madigan (Robin Copeland 54), Dave Foley; Dave O'Callaghan, Jack O'Donoghue (Shane Buckley 69), CJ Stander Capt.

Replacements: Niall Scannell, John Ryan, Stephen Archer, Robin Copeland, Shane Buckley, Cathal Sheridan, Tyler Bleyendaal, Cian Bohane.