Edinburgh and Munster lock horns on Saturday afternoon in the European Champions Cup quarter-finals. The two Guinness PRO14 rivals have both enjoyed impressive European campaigns so far and with a semi-final up for grabs, there will be little love lost at BT Murrayfield this weekend. And these are two teams who know each other very well indeed – so ahead of the clash, we go back in time to look at three classic encounters. Munster 20-16 Edinburgh May 5 2018, Guinness PRO14 semi-final qualifier The penultimate clash between these two sides came at the back end of last season and it was an absolute thriller. With a Guinness PRO14 semi-final on the line, Munster just about outlasted Edinburgh at Thomond Park in their semi-final qualifier. Simon Zebo marked his final appearance at Thomond Park before his move to Racing 92 with a remarkable bit of solo skill to set up Keith Earls’ decisive try. Rhys Marshall had also crossed early on for the hosts and that proved enough in the end, although Nathan Fowles’ sniping score gave the Scots hope and Munster had to withstand some serious pressure at the death to secure the win and set up a semi-final against Leinster. Munster 28-14 Edinburgh 24 September 2016, Guinness PRO14 regular season Ireland scrum-half Conor Murray scored a try-double for Munster but it was the Irish province’s pack that came to the fore in this comfortable bonus-point victory at the start of the 2016-17 season. Edinburgh centre Chris Dean scored the game’s opening try but Munster responded immediately through Murray – and didn’t look back from there. Murray completed his double – both tries coming off the back of fierce scrum pushes – and academy product Conor Oliver showed neat footwork to notch Munster’s third shortly after the break. The bonus point was all wrapped up with 25 minutes to go, as Dave O’Callaghan surged over to cap a fine day for the Munstermen before John Hardie grabbed a consolation score. Edinburgh 29-23 Munster October 12 2013, European Cup pool stages Munster have won three of their four games against Edinburgh in Europe but that one defeat did come the last time that Edinburgh were the hosts. Edinburgh came into the clash in the Pool stages and after a tough start to the PRO12 season, they sat bottom of the standings. But they pulled out all the stops at BT Murrayfield and claimed an impressive win over the European powerhouses. The hero was Greig Laidlaw, who slotted 19 points from the kicking tee, but it was Tim Visser who burst clear for the match-winning score. That was enough to hold off a Munster side for whom Casey Laulala and Mike Sherry had both crossed in the victory. The Guinness PRO14 Final is one of the most entertaining games in the rugby calendar and takes place in Glasgow’s Celtic Park on May 25. Tickets start at just £25 for adults, £1 for kids. Visit www.pro14rugby.org/finaltickets
