Munster 23 Edinburgh 13:MUNSTER LOOKED much more like their old selves last night as they dismissed a dogged Edinburgh side on a wet Limerick night.

Doug Howlett touched down twice for Tony McGahan’s men whilst Tony Buckley chipped in with another in a high-scoring contest.

Edinburgh were not without ambition of their own, and showed up well during the opening half when a well-taken try by prop forward Geoff Cross saw them open up a brief five-point lead.

However, there was only ever one side in it after the break, and Munster saw out a comfortable victory.

It was a good night for Munster’s Ireland contingent, keen to make an impression ahead of next week’s Six Nations trip to Murrayfield.

With exactly 200 international caps between them, Munster’s halfback pairing of Peter Stringer and O’Gara ran the show from the start to finish, with Denis Leamy prominent as well.

The much maligned prop Buckley also turned in a positive showing on his first outing since declaring his decision to move clubs at the end of the season.

Solid in the scrum, he was heavily involved in open play throughout, offering Declan Kidney a timely reminder that he has still has plenty to offer on the international stage.

Others to impress included Damien Varley and Lifeimi Mafi, whose midfield partnership with Paul Warwick looked threatening at all times.

A satisfactory night was rounded off when Marcus Horan and Denis Fogarty were both introduced in the second half, having recovered from mid-term injuries.

The game marked Edinburgh’s first outing since Rob Moffat was let go recently as head coach, with interim coach Nick Scrivener still looking for his first win since taking over the reins.

Edinburgh had lost their previous four fixtures in all competitions, but the Scottish outfit got off to a good start when Patterson knocked over a penalty three minutes in after Donncha Ryan was pinged for not rolling away.

O’Gara levelled immediately with his first attempt, and it wasn’t long before Buckley had the home side in the lead after he touched down for the opening try 13 minutes in.

The 21-tines capped international was involved twice in the move, getting a shove on from a five-metre scrum before diving over in the corner several phases later when the ball returned his way.

O’Gara went narrowly wide with his conversion and Patterson tagged on another penalty midway through the half.

Edinburgh then stunned the home crowd when Cross barged over for a close range try, converted by Patterson.

The Scots were looking good for a half-time lead, but Howlett reeled them in on the stroke of half time, sprinting home from 30 metres after an excellent break by Mafi.

O’Gara missed the conversion, and the teams went into the tunnel with the scores locked at 13-13.

Munster’s momentum continued after the restart, with O’Gara landing another penalty to restore their lead.

And the game looked up for Edinburgh when Howlett crossed over for his second try midway through the half to put daylight between the sides for the first time.

Mafi once again provided the spark, carving through the home defence before offloading to Johne Murphy, who in turn found the supporting Howlett who outpaced the cover defence.

O’Gara converted and Munster led 23-13, with just under a quarter of the game to go in hunt of a bonus point.

However, a raft of substitutions saw them lose their way in the final stages, and they never quite showed enough ambition to register a fourth try.

Munster’s next fixture is away to Aironi next Sunday, the same day Ireland travel to Murrayfield to take on Scotland.

MUNSTER: J Murphy, D Howlett, L Mafi, P Warwick, D Hurley (S Zebo, 74 mins), R O’Gara, P Stringer (D Williams, 69 mins), W du Preez (M Horan, 63 mins), D Varley (D Fogarty, 69 mins), T Buckley, D Ryan, M O’Driscoll, D Leamy (capt), T O’Donnell (B Holland, 60 mins), J Coughlan.

EDINBURGH: C Paterson, L Jones (S Webster, 74 mins), B Cairns (N De Luca, 71 mins), J King, T Visser; D Blair, G Laidlaw (capt); K Traynor (L Niven, 57 mins), A Kelly, G Cross (D Young, 77 mins); S MacLeod, S Turnbull; F McKenzie (R Grant, 71 mins), R Rennie (A MacDonald, 36 mins), N Talei.

Referee: Nigel Owens (Wales)