Treviso demonstrated from the off that they intended to play with pace and width but from the first scrum Leicester began to butcher the home pack and their forward power laid the ground work for the victory.
Denied the alacrity of Dale Steyn through injury, South Africa recalled Nel while Morne Morkel, taking the new ball in Steyn's absence, made the most of the pitch, offering openers Andrew Strauss and Cook little width with a probing line around both left-handers' off stump.