Exeter Chiefs v Munster Rugby

Exeter Chiefs secured an EPCR Challenge Cup quarter-final berth with a dominant 31-21 win over Munster Rugby at Sandy Park on Saturday afternoon.

Playing with the wind behind them in the first half, the Exeter men wrapped up four tries before half-time, simultaneously shutting the Irishmen out from scoring. A comeback led by fly-half Jack Crowley got points on the board for the visitors, but it wasn’t enough to catch Chiefs.

Ross Vintcent opened the afternoon’s scoring with a try after 14 minutes. A break from the returning Immanuel Feyi-Waboso put Chiefs on the front foot as he battered into fellow winger Thaakir Abrahams. Stephen Varney worked quickly to reload the ball, putting a pass in for Vintcent to charge onto. Henry Slade’s conversion, which had to be held on the tee by Varney, curled around nicely to add the extra two points.

Slade got a try of his own at the end of the first quarter. Munster dropped a pass on the halfway, which Slade sniped onto. The Chiefs centre ran in the try unchallenged, diving in beneath the posts to give himself the simple conversion and the full seven-point haul.

Chiefs topped up their score just shy of the half-hour when Slade elected a shot at goal with the penalty. Just minutes later, his centre partner Will Rigg ran in an interception try of his own. Munster looked to be on the front-foot on the edge of the Exeter 22 when Rigg picked his moment perfectly. Slade made light work of adding the extras.

With a minute left in the half, there was still time for a fourth Chiefs try. Feyi-Waboso truly showed his class, evading four defenders to carve a line through the defence and over the line.

Slade’s conversion brought the half to an end with Munster held scoreless.

Munster’s resurgence began 10 minutes into the second half. Forcing their way over tight to the corner flag in front of the East Terrace, Crowley emerged from a litter of bodies as the first Irish try-scorer of the afternoon. With the wind in his favour, he curled the conversion around from the touchline to split the uprights.

Sustained pressure on the Chiefs’ line earned Munster repeated penalties and the chance to tire the Exeter defence on 68 minutes. Captain Tadgh Beirne forced his large frame over just to the side of the sticks after Chiefs were warned for multiple off-side offences.

Unfortunately for the visitors, their try scorer and talisman was then shown a yellow card with seven minutes to go after a deliberate knock-on.

Crowley managed to claw back another try in the dying embers of the game, but the Chiefs defence held strong in the closing stages, not allowing another score as Sandy Park began to celebrate the prospect of a quarter-final.

Chiefs will now wait in suspense to discover the result of the Benetton v Cardiff game to kick-off this evening. If the Italians are victorious, a trip to Treviso awaits or there could yet be another home knockout clash if Cardiff secure a result.