Ross Thompson settles under a high ball but fumbles under pressure from Munster wing Calvin Nash.

It's been a pretty stop-start game to this point.

Edinburgh celebrate after a strong tackle from Ben Muncaster knocks the ball loose and ends the Munster attack.

Munster open up the Edinburgh defence for the first time tonight, but Ross McCann tracks Shay McCarthy all the way and makes an important covering tackle, forcing a knock-on.

However, from the resulting scrum, Munster win the penalty and kick to the corner.

It's a fair way out, but Ross Thompson nails his kick and Edinburgh lead.

Edinburgh win a penalty after a powerful scrum, and Ross Thompson gestures at the posts.

It was Boan Venter who did the damage for the visitors.

A fast-paced start to this game.

Both sides are looking to run it in the opening stages, and eventually the ball bobbles out of play and they can take a breather.

Away we go...

The players are out in Cork at a sold-out Musgrave Park.

Who do you fancy to win this one? Thumbs up for the hosts, thumbs down for Edinburgh.

Image source, Getty Images

John Hodnett and Calvin Nash have been released from Ireland's Six Nations camp and are duly named in Munster's starting XV this evening.

They are two of eight changes to the side that comfortably beat Scarlets last time out.

Munster are unbeaten in their past 10 games at Virgin Media Park - this is something of a fortress for them.

Sean Everitt has changed seven of his starting XV after the humiliating loss against Zebre last time out.

The South African head coach is boosted for the Cork visit by the return of co-captain Ben Vellacott and number eight Magnus Bradbury.

The only other change in the backline sees James Lang come in. However, with Emiliano Boffelli out with a hamstring problem, Matt Currie moves on to the wing.

In the forwards, Ewan Ashman is released from Scotland duty to start at hooker. He has come off the bench in every Six Nations match so far.

Paul Hill comes in at tighthead prop, Sam Skinner is into the second row, and Ben Muncaster joins Bradbury in the back row after a few weeks out with injury.

Ali Price drops to the bench, while Ben Healy misses out with a hip complaint. Cammy Scott is among the replacements and could make just a second appearance of the season.

Tom English
BBC Scotland's chief sports writer

Image source, SNS

Of all the troubling losses Edinburgh have suffered in the URC in recent seasons, and in a very stiff field, their defeat to Zebre last time out was a challenger for the most 'Edinburgh' of the lot.

Zebre were reduced to 14 men after 67 minutes and then got a red card in the 71st minute. So, against 14 players for seven minutes and against 13 for six minutes, Edinburgh still couldn't get the try that would have levelled the contest.

Their efforts - slow and plodding and utterly without conviction or invention - might have made their supporters cringe. Zebre had little bother repelling an attack so one-dimensional it made you wonder what on earth they do all week in training.

This has been the way of it at Edinburgh for way too long. The black sheep of the SRU family, they've been nothing but trouble. No coach can seem to fire them up. Sean Everitt is toiling horribly, just as others toiled before him.

Everitt is a good man, but it's not happening for him. This goes deeper than a coach, but the rebuild has to start somewhere.

The new leadership at Murrayfield - David Nucifora, primarily - had better start coming up with ways of helping the problem child.

Munster: O'Connor, Nash, Farrell, Nankivell, McCarthy, Burns, Coughlan; Wycherley, Scannell (capt), Ryan, O'Connell, Wycherley, Ahern, Hodnett, Gleeson.

Replacements: Barron, Donnelly, Archer, Quinn, Kendellen, Patterson, Butler, O’Brien.

Edinburgh: Goosen, M Currie, Lang, Tuipulotu, McCann; Thompson, Vellacott (c); Venter, Ashman, Hill, Sykes, Skinner, Crosbie, Muncaster, Bradbury.

Replacements: Harrison, Hislop, Rae, Young, Watson, Price, C Scott, Bennett.

Edinburgh have made the trip over the Irish Sea to Cork as they seek to keep their URC play-off hopes alive.

Successive league defeats by Scarlets and lowly Zebre leaves the Scottish side ninth in the table with seven matches remaining of the regular season.

Hosts Munster are sitting pretty in the top eight, and will want to consolidate that position this evening with a win.

Kick-off is 20 minutes away, so let's get to it...