Perhaps these two-legged knockout ties will catch on. The suspense of a tight, relentlessly physical contest was prolonged until Damian de Allende’s try, eight minutes from time, that proved the knockout blow. Munster emerged battered but victorious from a high-class collision between unstoppable force and immovable object, with a last-eight match against Toulouse looming into view.
Joey Carbery, the Munster and Ireland fly-half, scored 21 of their 26 points but this was fundamentally a defensive masterclass by Munster and one that evoked memories of the good old days when they won this competition twice in three seasons between 2006 and 2008. It was, in particular, a mammoth individual display by Peter O’Mahony in the back row, the captain refusing to allow Exeter time to settle at the breakdown.
