Edinburgh battle to impressive victory in Cork

With the game played in Cork rather than Thomond Park, Sean Everitt’s side became the first United Rugby Championship (URC) visitors to win at Munster’s ‘lesser ground’ since Edinburgh in 2019.

Backed by a dominant scrum, Edinburgh had their four-try bonus point wrapped up by half-time and were deserving winners despite Munster closing the gap late on.

The hosts, in the first game since it was confirmed Clayton McMillan will take charge next season, secured two bonus points in defeat through Sean O’Brien’s late try and Billy Burns’ subsequent conversion.

The win keeps Edinburgh in the URC play-off positions, with Sean Everitt’s side sitting in seventh place heading into the final Guinness Six Nations window.

Fly-half Ross Thompson struck the first points of the game from a penalty after his side earned a scrum penalty.

The visitor’s dominance at the set-piece became a theme of the game but Munster did take a brief lead shortly after.

Attacking off a backpedalling scrum, Brian Gleeson carried strongly off the base before centre Alex Nankivell finished strongly.

That was to be as good as it got for Munster, however.

Edinburgh’s response came after back rows Ben Muncaster and Magnus Bradbury both displayed good power before putting Thompson across the whitewash for the side’s first try.

It was after yet another dominant scrum that they got their second, scrum-half Ben Vellacot kicking over the top with penalty advantage before McCarthy misjudged the bounce allowing Currie to get in for the try.

The wing had his second soon after, doing well to finish despite the attention of Nankivell who tried to get underneath the ball.

And in the final play before half time, Edinburgh had their bonus-point try when, after another scrum penalty, Currie picked a brilliant line off the subsequent line-out and offloaded to send Bradbury underneath the posts.

Munster turned to Alex Kendellen and Stephen Archer at the break, although the first scrum of the half again brought about another Edinburgh penalty.

The hosts were struggling to get any foothold in the game but scored an opportunistic try after Josh Wycherly charged down Thompson and Nankivell went over for his second.

They could not build any momentum off that try, however, and after more hesitant play in the Munster backfield, Currie collected the loose ball and completed his hat-trick.

If that score felt as if they made the result safe, Ben O’Connor’s try with 15 minutes remaining set up Munster’s chase for both losing and four-try bonus points.

Aided by Paddy Harrison’s late yellow card for a high tackle, Munster would earn both through Sean O’Brien’s last-gasp try and Burns’ conversion to narrow the final deficit to six points.