Sean Cronin's last-gasp bonus-point try sealed Leinster's flattering 29-8 Guinness PRO12 victory over bottom side Zebre at the RDS.

Five days on from losing at the home to the Newport Gwent Dragons, Matt O'Connor's men were facing another shock result when South African full-back Hennie Daniller's first Pro12 try had Zebre 8-3 ahead at half-time.

Despite playing poorly, Leinster came good in the second half as converted tries from Dominic Ryan and Jimmy Gopperth fired them in front, and further efforts from man-of-the-match Fitzgerald and replacement Cronin sealed a five-point return for the defending champions.

Ulster, meanwhile, consolidated their top-four position with a 20-17 victory at Edinburgh.

The losing bonus point does, however, maintain the Scottish club's aspirations to a top-six finish, and with that comes an appearance in next season's European Champions Cup.

A largely humdrum match will be remembered for the red card shown to Ulster flanker Stuart McCloskey by referee Leighton Hodges after he had turned Edinburgh's Hamish Watson upside down at a ruck.

Edinburgh led 14-10 at the end of a forgettable first half thanks to an unconverted early try from Phil Burleigh and three penalties from Tom Heathcote, while Ruan Pienaar had scored Ulster's try which he converted along with kicking a penalty.

A second-half try by Darren Cave gave Ulster the edge, before the province lost McCloskey on 58 minutes.

Treviso inflicted a 40-24 defeat on Cardiff Blues in what looks to be coach Mark Hammett's last game in charge of the Welsh region.

The game took place against a backdrop of intense speculation that it could be New Zealander Hammett's farewell as director of rugby.

It is understood that the New Zealander could part company with the Blues as early as Monday, and Treviso - led by the rampant Jayden Hayward - made it a night to forget as they put five tries past the region.

Although the Blues are languishing in the PRO12's lower reaches, they have reached this season's European Challenge Cup quarter-finals, facing an away tie against Newport Gwent Dragons on April 4.