London Irish trounced Rovigo of Italy in the opening round of the European Challenge Cup, running in a dozen tries on the way to a 78-3 victory.

Elvis Seveali'i scored twice for the Exiles, as did the returning Peter Richards, as they recorded their biggest margin of victory and their highest-ever score in a European fixture.

Sailosi Tagicakibau, Seilala Mapusua, Paul Hodgson, Delon Armitage, Topsy Ojo and Shane Geraghty added the other tries, with Rovigo also conceding a penalty try after 32 minutes.

Former Warratahs full-back Peter Hewat kicked eight conversions for Irish, with Delon Armitage also adding an extra two points.

All Rovigo could muster was a single penalty from South Africa Sevens star Stefan Basson during the early stages of the first-half.