Munster started the day bottom of Pool One and ended on top following their seven try 41-10 victory over Benetton Treviso this (Sat) afternoon in sunny warm Thomond Park.

But it was a final scoreline that does not reflect the nervousness forced on their supporters as they watched the visitors race into a 10 point lead after tries from wing Brendan Williams and his opposite flanker Andrew Vilk.

By that stage Munster had lost both prop Marcus Horan and wing Doug Howlett with injury but while all around them, in the stands and on the terraces and no doubt those watching on television, were harbouring doubts, the players weren’t, according to both coach Tony McGahan and captain Paul O’Connell.

"I dont think it was a case of were we worried," O’Connell said, "more a case of not panicking, continuing to do the good things and cut out the bad. And I think we managed that very well."

By half time they had edged ahead with tries from Paul Warwick and Howlett’s replacement, Ian Dowling and they came out in the second half in determined mode to stretch their lead with a Denis Leamy try within two minutes of the restart.

And if that score owed much to the grunt of the pack, it was one of that special club, Denis Fogarty, having his first Heineken Cup start, who popped up out on the left wing to score the bonus point try in the 52nd minute taking Warwick’s long cut-out pass to score in the corner.

Ten minutes later it was game game over when David Wallace got in the act to score try number five after good approach work from Keith Earls.

Dowling scored his second with 12 minutes remaining and the biggest cheer of the afternoon was reserved for Jean de Villiers when he crossed with just four minutes to go.

Munster: P Warwick; D Howlett (inj, I Dowling 36), L Mafi, J de Villiers, K Earls (Denis Hurley 69); R O’Gara, T O’Leary (P Stringer 63); M Horan (inj, J Brugnaut 17), D Fogarty (D Varley 56), T Buckley (inj, Darragh Hurley 48), D O’Callaghan (Mick O’Driscoll 66), P O’Connell (capt), A Quinlan (N Ronan 59), D Wallace, D Leamy.

Benetton Treviso: L McLean; B Williams, A Sgarbi, G Garcia (F Waters 62), A Vilk; M Goosen (T Botes 68), F Semenzato; M Rizzo (P di Santo 50), L Ghiraldini (A Allori 50), I Fernandez Rouyet (D Vidal 50), A Pavanello (capt, E Pavanello ), C Van Zyl (R Barbieri 58), B Vermaak, A Zanni, D Kingi.

Referee: J Garces (France).