Munster triumph over Edinburgh

Edinburgh 17 Munster 18 : Munster hit back after their festive woes to snuff out Edinburgh's challenge and take a giant stride towards the Celtic League title.

The home side had been confident of earning the win they needed to leapfrog the Irishmen to the top spot.

But the streetwise visitors, determined to shake off their shock defeat by Leinster, were too strong when it mattered.

Edinburgh's hopes of a positive start were rocked as they gave away a series of early penalties - mainly for failing to release the ball in contact.

And Munster's gamble in spurning a shot at goal paid handsome dividends when they snatched an excellent try.

Scrum-half Peter Stringer's quick tapped kick set the Gunners' defence back on their heels and after a sequence of well-controlled phases, South African centre Trevor Halstead darted through the midfield gap.

Stand off Ronan O'Gara added the simple conversion and the Scots suffered a further blow when All Blacks prop Dave Hewett was ordered to the sin bin for a professional foul.

Munster continued to enjoy the bulk of possession and territory, however a combination of frantic defence and careless passing prevented an immediate addition to their tally.

Then in the 26th minute, they increased their advantage by three points when O'Gara banged over a 35-metre penalty when Hewett was guilty of deliberately collapsing an advancing maul.
 
Gunners began to get their act together in the build-up to the break and they forced their way back into the picture with a touchdown by experienced lock Scott Murray.

Simon Taylor made the initial attempt in the wake of a line-out drive, but it was Murray who wriggled through for the score which was converted by Chris Paterson from an awkward angle.
 
There was still time for O'Gara to ease the Munster jitters with his second penalty, awarded for illegal handling on the deck.
 
Edinburgh had the better of the tussle after the restart and they were unlucky not to bag a second try when Australian centre Peter Jorgensen wrongfooted the visiting back ranks with a long and raking clearance.
 
Argentinian winger Francisco Leonelli looked likely to win the race, but he was foiled by a crooked bounce.

Having soaked up heavy pressure, Munster broke back upfield to bolster their lead with virtually the first attack of the second half.

Dangerman Halstead was involved twice in the slick move which ended with winger John Kelly stretching to reach the line with a one-handed lunge.

Gunners wasted no time in hitting back with a 60-metre dash by Marcus Di Rollo, who had intercepted an O'Gara pass and Paterson converted to set up a tense finale.
 
Paterson's 76th-minute penalty narrowed the gap to a single point, but Edinburgh could not complete the salvage act.