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Munster need to return from their trip to Scotland to face Edinburgh Rugby with a bonus point win to keep themselves in the hunt for a lucrative Heineken Cup quarter-final place. - 11/01/2013 18:04
Munster need to return from their trip to Scotland to face Edinburgh Rugby with a bonus point win to keep themselves in the hunt for a lucrative Heineken Cup quarter-final place.
The Heineken Cup champions in 2006 and 2008 are third in Pool 1 and are one point behind French rivals Racing Metro 92 in second place and three points behind leaders Saracens.
Munster will know a win will more than likely put them into second place in the Pool with one game – a home tie against Racing Metro 92 at Thomond Park – to play and a good chance of qualification.
Racing Metro 92 face Saracens in Nantes on Saturday afternoon, so Munster will know what they need to do when they face the Scots outfit at Murrayfield on Sunday afternoon.
Munster, with the evergreen Ronan O'Gara still a reliable points machine, have only failed to reach the last eight of European rugby’s premier tournament once in the last 14 seasons and that was in 2011.
The Irish province were given a real wake up call last weekend and will be looking to bounce back from their shock home defeat in the Pro12 to a young Cardiff Blues side at Musgrave Park.
Edinburgh, who reached the semi-finals of last season’s Heineken Cup, are out of this season’s tournament and are still looking for their first points, let alone win in this Pool.
The Scottish side, who are struggling at ninth in the Pro12, have endured a miserable campaign and have been a shadow of the side which won so many admirers last season.
Match Facts
- Munster nilled Edinburgh in their meeting this season and are the only Irish province to do so in the history of this tournament.
- Munster have missed just 20 tackles in 320 minutes of rugby. Their completion rate of 93% is the best in the tournament.
- Edinburgh, the tournament’s lowest points scorers with 12 next to their name, have a place kicking success rate of 31% this season.
- The Scottish team have lost their last five matches, including last season’s semi-final. This season, they have been nilled twice and are yet to hit double figures in a single game.
- Munster’s victory over Edinburgh this season was the Irish club’s only ever match against Scottish opponents in this competition.
Munster kept their Heineken Cup quarter-final hopes alive with a 26-17 victory over Edinburgh Rugby at Murrayfield but failed to get the vital bonus point which would have really kept the pressure on Pool leaders Saracens. - 13/01/2013 16:00
Munster kept their Heineken Cup quarter-final hopes alive with a 26-17 victory over Edinburgh Rugby at Murrayfield but failed to get the vital bonus point which would have really kept the pressure on Pool leaders Saracens.
Munster are now in a straight dogfight with the English side for qualification but the Irish province could still qualify as one of the Pool runners-up for the knock-out stages.
Munster, who won this tournament in 2006 and 2008, had the boot of fly-half Ronan O’Gara to thank a for narrow 12-3 lead at half-time against a stubborn Edinburgh side in the Scottish capital.
The veteran Ireland fly-half landed four penalties in the first half, while his opposite number Greig Laidlaw, the Scotland fly-half, slotted a solitary penalty for the home side.
Edinburgh’s Laidlaw and Munster prop Dave Kilcoyne both found themselves yellow carded for professional fouls, leaving both sides with 14-men at the start of the second-half.
Munster took full advantage and were awarded a penalty try at a five metre scrum in the shadow of the home side’s posts, which O’Gara converted, to make it 19-3 to the Irish province.
Scrum-half Connor Murray than barged his way over from a line-out for the visitors second try before wing Doubie Fife crossed for Edinburgh’s first two tries in this season’s European campaign. It had taken 392 minutes for them to cross the opposition line this tournament and then Fife did it twice In as many minutes
Munster, who host Racing Metro 92 at Thomond Park in their final Pool game, have only failed to reach the last eight of European rugby's premier tournament once in the last 14 seasons and that was in 2011.
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