It was a win that leaves them in contention for one of the 'best runner-up' places and a possible trip to Harlequins or Clermont but they really need to do next weekend what they failed to do in Edinburgh, win with a bonus point.

They set out by giving themselves the cushion of a lead and led 12-3 at half time but it was the minutes before the break that probably decided their fate.

Camped on the Edinburgh line they probed left and right but were denied and then when awarded a penalty Keith Earls tapped and went but was whistled back because according to referee Greg Gardiner he hadn't given the mark. Mind you later on when Grieg Laidlaw took a quick tap without been given the mark, it ended in a yellow card for Dave Kilcoyne.

Ronan O'Gara opened Munster's account with an early penalty but Munster put themselves under pressure when an overthrow at a five metre line out followed by a knock on gave Edinburgh a foothold metres from the Munster line.

Superb defence kept the home side at bay and when the siege was lifted Munster went downfield for O'Gara to kick two penalties in the 25^th and 29^th minutes.

Laidlaw pulled one back three minutes later, a blatant forward pass in the lead-up going unnoticed, but once again when Edinburgh were penalised at scrum time O'Gara landed his fourth successful kick for a nine point interval lead.

Munster were reduced to 14 when Dave Kilcoyne was yellow carded in the 48^th minute but they still managed to win a penalty try from a scrum after Grieg Laidlaw was sent to the bin five minutes later.

The outcome was put beyond all doubt when Conor Murray scored his side's second try in the 61^st minute though before that Dougie Fife escaped sanction after deliberately knocking on a try scoring pass from Earls to Simon Zebo.

In the closing stages Munster ran out of gas and Fife ran in a brace of tries which if nothing else served to highlight the wisdom of Munster's early tactics.

Munster: F Jones; D Howlett capt, K Earls, J Downey (C Laulala 62^nd min), S Zebo; R O'Gara (I Keatley 64^th min), C Murray (D Williams 69^th min); D Kilcoyne, D Varley, BJ Botha; D O'Callaghan (B Holland 69^th min), D Ryan; P O'Mahony, T O'Donnell, J Coughlan (Wian du Preez 51-59th min, P Butler 64^th min). Replacements not used: J Ryan.