Chris Paterson contributed 15 points in his 150th appearance for Edinburgh, but it was not enough to prevent European champions, Munster from winning 20-15 at Murrayfield.

In a stop-start game where both teams struggled to adapt to the new ELVS, Munster were strong at the set pieces and looked confident with ball in hand.

This translated into two tries scored by Keith Earls and David Wallace after some gaps appeared in Edinburgh's defence while Ronan O'Gara added the other points with his boot. It was a deeply frustrating night for Edinburgh who never really generated any serious momentum and that genuine sense of woe was heightened when Alan MacDonald was taken off with a hip injury. 

in front of a passionate crowd of 5,443, Munster slowed the ball down and showed all the streetwise know-how that enabled them to be crowned European champions in their previous competitive match.

Paterson scored five penalties and only missed one pot at goal in his comeback match following his season long stay at Gloucester. 

Simon Webster was a late withdrawal from the Edinburgh starting line-up after failing a fitness test because of a hip injury so Mark Robertson  replaced him on the left wing.

As a result, Andrew Easson was named amongst the replacements for Edinburgh's opening match of the 2008/2009 Magners League season.

Edinburgh: Southwell; Paterson, MacRae, De Luca, Robertson, Godman, Blair (captain); Jacobsen, Ford, G. Cross, C. Hamilton, Gissing, Mustchin, MacDonald, Hogg. Replacements: Kelly, Kerr, Newlands, Callam (for MacDonald), Laidlaw, Easson, Turnbull (for Robertson).