Munster can have no complaints, nor indeed were they offering any, about the outcome of their clash with Edinburgh at Murrayfield that saw their unbeaten start to the RaboDirect PRO12 League end with a 29-14 defeat that was every bit as emphatic as the final scoreline suggests.
The home side showed a greater hunger and competitiveness from the off and led 16-0 at the end of a first quarter. Ian Keatley kept his side in touch with three penalties before the break but it was Michael Bradley's outfit who seized the initiative in the second half with ten unanswered points in the opening ten minutes that decided the outcome of this affair.
Munster might have survived Greig Laidlaw's 44th minute penalty that pushed his side ten points clear, but Steve Lawrie's try, two minutes later, proved to be the final nail, even though there were twenty four minutes still to run.
Perhaps it was as much the lead-in to that score – when Peter Stringer was clearly and illegally impeded at a ruck followed by a side entry to secure possession – that took the wind out of Munster's sails but nevertheless they had enough time and enough possession subsequently, to claw back the deficit. But they lacked the nous and in truth their sails were never near full enough
They did manage a Danny Barnes try with six minutes to go, that after they'd looked to have butchered the chance, but replacement out-half Scott Deasy – he'd started at full-back – missed the difficult conversion and Edinburgh had the final say when Laidlaw kicked his seventh successful kick with minutes to go.
Munster: S Deasy; J Murphy, T Gleeson D Barnes 48th min), L Mafi, D Hurley; I Keatley (S Zebo 59th min), P Stringer (D Williams 73rd min) ; W du Preez ( J Ryan 75th min), D Fogarty (M Sherry 48th min)(Fogarty 72nd min), J Hayes (S Archer 48th min); D Foley (I Nagle 59th min), M O'Driscoll; T O'Donnell, N Ronan, P Butler (P O'Mahony 48th min).
Edinburgh: J Thompson; L Jones, M Scott, J King, T Visser; G Hunter, G Laidlaw; K Traynor, S Lawrie, L Niven; G Gilchrist, S Cox; D Denton, R Grant, S McInally. Replacements: A Walker, R Hislop, S Knight, E Lozada, H Watson, C Leck, P Godman, T Brow.
Referee : L Hodges (Wales).