There have been some see-sawing contests in Europe over the years but few that have lurched so markedly from one extreme to the other. Munster were staring into the abyss for long periods of this madcap tie but by the end it was Exeter, reduced to 13 men for a chunk of the final quarter, who were left slightly anxious about what next weekend may bring.
In the final analysis Exeter were indebted to a remarkable 45-metre drop goal from Stuart Hogg which may yet offer some kind of lifeline in Limerick on Easter Saturday. Munster, though, will be massively buoyed by their spirit in adversity, a 66th-minute try by winger Shane Daly having left this two-leg encounter beautifully poised at the halfway stage.
Even in the good old days Munster have rarely had to overcome such a lengthy injury list or more off-field discontent but some things never change. The visitors were nothing if not cussed and might even have won had Exeter, with Olly Woodburn and Patrick Schickerling in the sin-bin, not kept their line intact throughout a 13-phase Munster assault.
Fair play to Munster’s Keith Earls, too, whose tackle on Woodburn prevented an almost certain late score that may yet prove significant. Exeter, by now, were back to 15 men and on the charge again, desperate to add another score and take a bigger cushion to Ireland. It did not materialise and if they fail to advance to the quarter-finals they will kick themselves for not taking more advantage of all their first-half territory and possession.
Munster, by contrast, will regard this as a moral victory in some respects, given their large number of absentees. With Peter O’Mahony, Andrew Conway, Joey Carbery, Tadhg Beirne, Dave Kilcoyne and Gavin Coombes already missing, it was almost cruel when a stomach bug ruled out Simon Zebo and reserve hooker Diarmuid Barron on the eve of the game.
It was no surprise, then, that Munster were soon right up against it physically, with Exeter putting a sparkling try on the board inside six minutes. A quick tap penalty was whisked right to Tom O’Flaherty who made a typically sharp break and a flying Hogg duly finished off an impressively slick attack.
Aside from the breakdown where John Hodnett enjoyed some success the Exeter pack had an edge at the scrums and the home side duly dominated possession and territory. They came close to a couple more tries when first Jack Yeandle and then Dave Ewers were denied when a rumbling score looked highly likely.
Could Munster somehow fashion something improbable? Grit automatically comes with the jersey but, for long periods, there was no escaping the inexorable pressure. By the time Jacques Vermeulen finally drove over for Exeter’s long overdue second try two minutes before half-time the visitors had also lost replacement Jack O’Sullivan to the sin-bin after the promising young No 8 Alex Kendellen had failed a head injury assessment.
Both conversions floated wide on the breeze, though, which meant Exeter led by only 10-0 at the interval. The home and away format suited them perfectly back in 2010 when they were seeking to clinch promotion at Bristol’s expense from the Championship but Thomond Park is rarely the best place to go for a stress-free second leg.
Hence the renewed sense of Exeter purpose in the third quarter when, initially, they again did pretty much everything except score. It has been a recurring theme this season and as the stolen lineouts, penalties and turnovers began to mount up, so did Munster’s morale. A simple penalty from stand-off Ben Healy narrowed the deficit to seven points and, for the first time, the Fields of Athenry could be heard in Devon.
Worse was to follow for Exeter when first Woodburn and then Schickerling were sent to the bin inside three minutes for a rogue forearm and playing the ball on the ground respectively. Could the 13 men hold on? With the help of Hogg’s majestic hoof, they just about scrambled over the line but they will need to be sharper in their opponents’ 22 in the rematch.
Rob Baxter was also unhappy with both yellow cards but insists his team are still in control of their own destiny. “I’m actually pretty comfortable with where we are,” he said. “We’ve just got to go for it next week.”
