Edinburgh nearly snatched the victory they probably deserved on the balance of play deep into added time but a clutch of basic errors cost them dear against Munster at BT Murrayfield.
Damien Hoyland’s last-gasp interception nearly produced the try that would have given the capital club the points but it was a host of fumbles and poor passes on a sodden night in Edinburgh that cost them the chance of victory.
A try from Tongan centre Will Helu early in the second half should have been the springboard to Edinburgh going on to secure victory, but there were too many basic errors from Alan Solomons’ side and two penalties from Ian Keatley got Munster the points, despite the late scare from Hoyland’s intervention.
A forgettable first half saw Munster score within seven minutes before the match descended into a dirge in the drizzle.
Keatley’s excellent probing kick left Blair Kinghorn with no choice but to concede a scrum five, and when Edinburgh pushed too quickly Munster tapped and drove, prop Joe Ryan scored at the posts, Keatley converting.
Sam Hidalgo-Clyne struck a penalty on Edinburgh’s first foray into the Munster 22, and the home side looked to get on top when wing Gerhard van der Heerden was sinbinned for taking Tom Brown out in the air.
Instead Munster spent most of the ten minute spell in Edinburgh territory, Keatley kicking a penalty for a scrum infringement when the wing returned.
Edinburgh needed some attacking territory but did get a boost just before the break with Hidalgo-Clyne’s second penalty to keep it to 10-6 as they started to get ascendancy in the scrum.
That didn’t change in the second half, but it was a rare poor kick from Munster that got Edinburgh on top, when Cornell du Preez led a counterattack and put away Damien Hoyland up the right.
The young wing beat tackles to take Edinburgh to the 22 and it was swung wide left for Brown and Helu to combine superbly, the Tongan getting over for the try in the corner.
Hidalgo-Clyne couldn’t convert but added a penalty when Munster centre Francis Saili was sin-binned for killing the ball in his own 22.
But the home side’s poor handling continued to plague them and two Keatley penalties as Munster started to get parity back in the scrum got his side back in the lead with ten minutes remaining.
Having edged the lead Munster turned the screw and when Greig Tonks was yellow carded on his own line, the Irishmen seemed to have kept Edinburgh deep in their own territory to secure the win.
But as the clock ticked past 80 minutes a Hoyland interception and chase into the Munster 22 brought Edinburgh hope, only for Hidalgo-Clyne’s drop goal attempt to be charged down at the death.
Edinburgh: B Kinghorn (D Fife 55); D Hoyland, W Helu (A Strauss 79), M Scott, T Brown; G Tonks, S Hidalgo-Clyne; A Dickinson, R Ford, WP Nel (J Andress 62); A Bresler, A Toolis; M Coman (capt, N Manu 67), H Watson (R Grant 74), C du Preez.
Munster: S Zebo; G Van Den Heever (D Hurley 70), K Earls, F Saili, R O’Mahony; I Keatley, C Murray; D Kilcoyne (J Cronin 48), D Casey (N Scannell 67), J Ryan (M Sagario 58); D Ryan, D Foley; D O’Callaghan (R Copeland 72), J O’Donoghue (J Coghlan 62), CJ Stander.
Ref: D Wilkinson (IRFU)