Edinburgh gained further momentum for the final weeks of the Magners League as they ended Cardiff’s five-match winning streak in all competitions with Simon Webster’s second half try the highlight of a 16-3 victory.

Cardiff fielded an understrength team, with one eye on next weekend’s Heineken Cup quarter-final against Toulouse, and paid the price as Edinburgh chalked up only their second win in six meetings with the Welsh region.

With Andy Robinson installed as the early favourite to succeed Frank Hadden as Scotland coach, all eyes were on the Edinburgh boss and how his side performed under the increased pressure.

Quite well, it turned out, although the Scots were far from convincing and were let down by a high error count.

Their best moment came five minutes into the second half when Scotland winger Simon Webster gobbled up a peach perfect grubber kick from Phil Godman to collect the only try of the game.

Cardiff took to the pitch without nine of their frontline players, including Tom Shanklin, Martyn Williams, Gethin Jenkins, Jason Spice and Xavier Rush.

Rush’s number 8 jersey went to debutant Sam Warburton, while his back row colleague Robin Sowden Taylor made his 99th appearance for the Blues.

Edinburgh had hoped to field an unchanged team after last week’s 32-5 dismissal of Connacht, but they were forced into two late changes.

Knee injury victim Jim Hamilton was replaced by Scott MacLeod in the second row and illness prompted winger Andrew Turnbull’s withdrawal and a call-up for John Houston.

In misty conditions at Murrayfield, the hosts made early headway and hit the front in the sixth-minute when Chris Paterson planted a 30-metre penalty through the uprights.

With Richie Rees directing matters at scrum half, Cardiff responded well and gained good territory before they were turned over.

The Blues, still on a high from their EDF Energy Cup final qualification, struggled to match the heights of last week’s performance and were fortunate not to leak a try on the quarter-hour.

Edinburgh knocked on within sight of the try-line and they missed another scoring chance when Paterson booted a long range off a post.

Robinson’s men had Cardiff on the ropes, dominating possession, but they lacked the killer instinct to break down the visitors’ defence.

Phil Godman was off target with a drop goal attempt and as the first half came to a close, Robinson came down from his perch in the stand.

The coach’s efforts at half-time did the trick as Edinburgh immediately showed a more clinical edge.

They worked their way through phase after phase before Godman’s well-weighted kick sent the onrushing Webster over for a long-awaited try.

Paterson’s conversion was followed by another good spell of pressure for Edinburgh, for whom Webster went close to nabbing his second try.

Cardiff had Rees sin-binned for a deliberate knock on, with 30 minutes remaining, and that forced Cardiff coach Dai Young into withdrawing Leigh Halfpenny for Richard Mustoe.

Young made a series of substitutions coming up to the hour mark and with Cardiff not conceding a score while down to 14 men, they soon opened their scoring account.

Ben Blair landed a 40-metre penalty to close the gap to seven points but Paterson, replied two minutes later, with a drop goal which bounced over off the crossbar.

In an injury-affected final quarter, Edinburgh lost both Godman and Geoff Cross, who penned a new contract earlier in the week.

The tempo of the game decreased and Godman’s replacement David Blair fired over a late drop goal to make it six league wins in-a-row for his side at their Murrayfield base.