Big win leaves Munster in driving seat for home semi-final

Edinburgh 12 Munster 55

Munster took a giant step towards a home semi-final in the RaboDirect Pro12 play-offs with a comprehensive 55-12 win at Edinburgh.

The Irish side had to come from behind after tries from Carl Bezuidenhout and Willem Nel but they finally clicked into gear and scored seven tries in total to keep themselves in third place, one point behind Glasgow.

By half-time Munster held a decisive lead thanks to tries from winger Andrew Conway and Denis Hurley, with stand-off JJ Hanrahan converting both and kicking two penalties.

Within fifteen minutes of the restart, a try by Damien Varley followed by a penalty try gave Munster the bonus point they desired.

Munster added further tries through Duncan Williams, Tommy O’Donnell, and a second penalty try.

Hanrahan converted the first three of the half to give him sixteen points, and a perfect place kicking record, while Conor Murray stuck over the final pair.

A Munster team showing 11 changes from the side that lost to Toulon in last week’s Heineken Cup semi-final found themselves immediately on the back foot.