Ulster held off a second half fightback from Treviso to come away from Italy with a 24-20 win in the Guinness Pro12.

Ulster powered through their opponents during the first half. They were 24 point ahead within 25 minutes thanks to tries from Paddy Jackson, Ruan Pienaar and Tommy Bowe, all capably converted by Paddy Jackson.

A try from Sam Christie put Treviso on the scoreboard before the break, but Ulster still led by a comfortable 24 points to 7 at half-time.

The Italian team came back fighting, however, and gradually narrowed the gap while preventing Ulster from scoring a single point during the second half.

A try from Francesco Minto - converted by Jayden Hayward - and a pair of penalties from Hayward reduced Ulster's lead to a mere four points. 

Michele Campagnaro came perilously close to scoring a try in the final moments of the game, but when the whistle blew Ulster remained ahead despite a tense second half.

The win puts Ulster at fifth place on the Pro12 table, six points ahead of Connacht.

Fourth-placed Osperys, meanwhile, will be looking to overtake Leinster, Munster and Glasgow when they face the Dragons at 6pm this evening.