ALAN Solomons, the Edinburgh head coach, has promised his side will fight right to the end of the season in their battle to win European Champions Cup rugby next season, even though conceding a bonus point defeat to Munster has left them with an almost impossible task.

The arithmetic next week is simple. They need to score at least four tries at home to Cardiff Blues and hope that the Scarlets who are currently in a battle for the play-off semi finals, beat Munster at Thomond Park without the Irish side picking up any points.

Both sides of the equation looked far fetched in the immediate aftermath of a clinical demolition job by Munster, who suffered in the tight but looked far more threatening with ball in hand and – as Solomons admitted – won the breakdown battle decisively.

"That is probably it for us," Solomons accepted. "We would have to get five points next week and they would have to get nothing for it to come right for us. We have got to go flat out; we have to win the game and then we have to try to get a bonus point, but Cardiff are a good side so it will not be easy, we have to fight right to the end.

"It was really disappointing because with six or seven minutes to go, it was anyone's game and we were driving for their line. For me, the key was the breakdown – I will have to have a look at it because there were a lot of penalties and a lot of times they counter-rucked us."

Munster may have had had their struggles this season, but last season's losing finalists know how to win and how to throw a party. In the crammed surroundings of Irish Independent Park – still Musgrave Park in the minds of most, even the stadium announcer – the place was bouncing from well before the kick off.

Despite that it was Edinburgh who got the early pressure but the tale of silly turnovers cost them any chance of getting anything from it and as soon as Munster got their hands on the ball, they showed how dangerous they are.

Jonny Holland, the fly half, spotted that Blair Kinghorn, the Edinburgh full back, had been taken off for a head injury, and kicked into the space where he should have been.

Keith Earls got to the loose ball and before the Scots defence had time to re-organise, they had shipped the ball across the pitch where the offload from Andrew Conway, the wing, put Rory Scannell in for the first try. Worse still for Edinburgh, Holland landed the conversion and their tough task had become even harder.

They did not seem daunted at first as they hauled themselves back into the game with Jason Tovey slotting a penalty, and then producing a piece of solo magic as he dummied and danced his way through an apparently packed defence to claim the try that put the Scots ahead.

It was a brief respite, though. Munster were finding all kinds of holes in the Edinburgh defence when they shifted the ball wide and were so confident in their ability to make that work for them that they were even prepared find the gaps from their own line.

Conway provided the inspiration, his burst from deep in his 22 and perfectly placed kick bouncing kindly for Simon Zebo to collect and race in for the go-ahead try and then he finished a flowing move that involved most of his teammates after Scannell had made the initial break.

Suddenly, Edinburgh were struggling and even Tovey's second penalty to bring his side back to within seven points, did little to change the fact they needed to do something spectacular after the break to rescue their season.

They did give themselves some hope when Tovey slotted his third penalty soon after the restart, but it was still the home side who were looking more dangerous ball in hand and getting the better of the breakdown.

It was slightly against the run of play when Sam Hidalgo-Clyne banged over Edinburgh's fourth penalty to bring it to a one-point game with the Scots on the attack, but it was never going to be easy for them to keep the pressure up as the Irish continued to win possession and penalties at the breakdown.

In the end it was a breakdown penalty that turned the match, allowing Munster to turn to their mauling game and though they were held up on the line twice, they did eventually manage to get the ball into midfield where Francis Saili, the centre, came on the crash ball and the pack piled in behind him to drive him over the line. This time there was to be no reprieve – it was a try and Munster could celebrate going into the final game with at least a five-point advantage over Edinburgh.

Scorers: Munster: Tries: Scannell (6), Zebo (27), Conway (33), Saili (77). Conversions: Holland. Penalty goal: (20)

Edinburgh: Try: Tovey (19). Conversion: Tovey. Penalty goal: Tovey (14, 37, 43), Hidalgo-Clyne (64) Scoring sequence (Munster first): 7-0, 7-3, 7-10, 10-10, 15-10, 20-10, 20-13 (half time), 20-16, 20-19, 27-19.

Munster: S Zebo; A Conway, F Saili, R Scannell, K Earls; J Holland, C Murray; D Kilcoyne (rep: J Cronin, 54), N Scannell (rep: M Sherry, 57), S Archer(rep: J Ryan, 68), D Foley (rep: R Copeland, 62), B Holland; D O'Callaghan (rep: J O'Donoghue, 74), T O'Donnell, CJ Stander (C).

Edinburgh: B Kinghorn (rep: D Fife, 6); D Hoyland, M Scott, A Strauss, T Brown (rep: C Dean, 41); J Tovey, S Kennedy (rep: S Hidalgo-Clyne, 55); A Dickinson (rep: R Sutherland, 57), R Ford (C) (rep: S McInally, 41), WP Nel (rep: J Andress, 68), A Bresler (rep: A Toolis, 68), B Toolis, J Ritchie (rep: M Bradbury, 52), J Hardie, C Du Preez.

Referee: I Davies (Wales)

Attendance: 8,200