Chiefs take a share of the spoils in Heineken Champions Cup clash

Having blown away all that have stood in front of them so far this season in the Gallagher Premiership, Exeter Chiefs were unable to kick-off their Heineken Champions Cup with similar reward against visiting Munster.

Rob Baxter’s side huffed and puffed in patches – and they could easily have won it at the death – but in the end they had to settle for a share of the spoils against the Irish province on their first-ever visit to Sandy Park.

Luke Cowan-Dickie’s converted first half try, plus a penalty from Gareth Steenson, gave the Chiefs a slender 10-3 lead at the break. However, Joey Carbery was able to add to his first half penalty when he landed the crucial conversion to CJ Stander’s try just past the hour mark.

Even then, either side could have snatched victory, but in truth that would have been tough in a contest where these two heavyweights rivals slugged it out, pound for pound, in a full-blooded 80-minute shift.

Munster, who had arrived through the eye of Storm Callum 24 hours earlier, won the pre-game coin toss and opted to go head-on into the gale-force wind that swept down the length of the Sandy Park turf.

The visitors – no strangers to dominating in this very competition, having twice won it in the past – happily soaked up the early Exeter pressure, winning a couple of key turnover penalties through the astute work of skipper Peter O’Mahony at the breakdown.
 

For the full match ereport go to https://www.exeterchiefs.co.uk/news/chiefs-10-munster-10