Edinburgh kept up their strong league form with their first win over Munster thanks to Chris Paterson, who scored all the home side’s points in their 12-7 victory. Paterson’s 100% kicking record consigned Munster to their fifth defeat in six away games this season.
Full-back Paterson, along with Ben Cairns and Scott Newland, had been restored to the Edinburgh side after last week’s Heineken Cup win over Ulster and he got his side off to a terrific start. The Scotland international scored his first penalty after just two minutes but Edinburgh passed up the chance to extend their lead minutes later when Phil Godman’s missed a penalty from long-range.
Though Munster pushed to get back into the game, both defences were on top in the first half and the only further scoring in the opening period came from Paterson’s boot. The full-back scored two more penalties to give Edinburgh a 9-0 half-time lead.
The Scotland player’s value to Edinburgh was underlined by contrasting his efficiency with the wayward kicking of his opponent Ronan O’Gara, who missed two penalties that, if converted, would have made Edinburgh’s lead all the more precarious. Munster also had a possible try ruled out when Wallace looked to have gone over and they continued to make their hosts uncomfortable.
After the break, Munster did get on the score-sheet and it was second time lucky for Wallace. Assisted by Jean de Villiers, the number eight ran over from close range in the 52nd minute and O’Gara converted to narrow the gap.
However, Edinburgh fought back to give themselves a little breathing space with a fourth penalty on the hour. Paterson’s kick closed the scoring for the evening but Edinburgh had to defend well to keep things that way. Strong tackling and a number of fast counters kept the home side in front and a number of turnovers in the closing stages presented Edinburgh with opportunities to extend their lead. They couldn’t take advantage but held firm to take the win and send Munster home with only the consolation of a bonus point.
Edinburgh coach Rob Moffat was satisfied with a hard-earned win against the team who picked up last year’s trophy.
“It was a good win and I thought we deserved it as well. I thought we showed a lot of character,” he said.
"There are lots of different ways to win a game of rugby and it wasn't the prettiest game in the world.
"That win was a real squad effort. Everyone in our squad played well tonight and the spirit, once again, was magnificent. We showed maturity and didn't panic at any point."
You can catch highlights of the game and all the rest of the weekend’s action in STV Rugby: The Magners League on STV at 5.05pm on Sunday or streamed on stv.tv/sport. If you miss out on Sunday afternoon you can catch up with the programme on the STV player at www.stv.tv/player.
Last updated: 25 October 2009, 16:48
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