They’ll be sorry they didn’t capitalise when they had their first visit into Exeter territory in the 12th minute when it was still 0-0.
Munster had repelled early pressure from the Chiefs, with an Alex Nankivell try-saving tackle and a Tadhg Beirne turnover required.
Exeter then appeared fortunate not to see Immanuel Feyi-Waboso sin-binned for a deliberate knock on when Jack Crowley floated a pass over him towards Ben O’Connor. The linebreak seemed to be on, but referee Jeremy Rozier felt it was a penalty only.
That wasn’t in Munster’s control, but much of what followed was. They kicked down the line but as they attacked near the Exeter 22-metre line, Lee Barron’s attempted sweep pass out the back to Crowley came off John Ryan and went forward.
“That’s on me,” said Ryan as Exeter celebrated the turnover.
A scrum penalty against Jeremy Loughman followed, then Exeter scored off the resulting lineout.
It was a slick, snappy attack by the Chiefs leading to Ross Vincent’s try on his second carry in the three-phase play, but Munster will feel they conceded too easily. They got caught on their right edge on second phase as Feyi-Waboso made huge inroads, then Vincent surged into a big gap to finish.
Loughman and Beirne looked at each other and threw their arms out in dismay, both seemingly having thought the other would fill that gap. Munster struggled to get on the same page too often in the first half.
The visitors made a big linebreak in the next passage of play, Beirne’s tip-on pass sending Gavin Coombes clear before he found Crowley. The out-half had Craig Casey sprinting up on his inside but a strong scrambling effort from Olly Woodburn felled Crowley, preventing the try-scoring offload.
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And it was Exeter flanker Tom Hooper who won the race to the breakdown and snuffed out a gilt-edged chance for Munster to equalise.
Munster's John Hodnett at full time in Exeter. Dan Sheridan / INPHO
Dan Sheridan / INPHO / INPHO
Instead, it was the Chiefs who scored next. This time, Munster teed the home team up with some poor attack in the middle of the pitch.
It seemed to be on for them in the shortside but they played open and Barron lost the gainline in a big double tackle by Jack Yeandle and Jimmy Roots.
Despite Exeter’s defence being in the ascendancy, Munster then forced things on the very next phase as Crowley tried to run a loop play around Nankivell, whose pass was in between the front-door running Diarmuid Kilgallen and Crowley out the back.
Again, Munster’s timing and cohesion were off. Kilgallen knocked on. Henry Slade gratefully gathered the ball as it ricocheted up, stepped inside Nankivell, and sprinted clear from 45 metres out.
There was a similar feel to the second Exeter intercept try, albeit Will Rigg ran this one home from 75 metres out.
Two minutes before Rigg picked them off, Munster had been struggling to win the gainline with their ball-carrying near the Exeter 22. Stumped by the excellent Exeter defence, they forced the ball out the back door, where Kilgallen knocked on.
A scrum free-kick gave them a reprieve but again Munster laboured in the carry. Then, when it wasn’t on to shift wider, they forced the ball.
Loughman swept out the back to Ben O’Connor and despite Exeter having the passing lane filled, he looked for a long, flat pass to Alex Kendellen. Rigg made the fairly straightforward intercept and scorched home.
Exeter had added a penalty from Slade in between their second and third tries, and they would have been happy with a 24-0 lead at the break.
But there was more self-inflicted damage for Munster before the best Exeter try of the lot.
Exeter celebrate Immanuel Feyi-Waboso's try. Dan Sheridan / INPHO
Dan Sheridan / INPHO / INPHO
With 38:10 on the clock, Barron threw into a Munster lineout 10 metres out from the Exeter tryline. A chance to salvage something from a troubled first half.
But the lineout was a botch from Munster. Beirne planted and jumped but Jack O’Donoghue and Coombes were late to the lift, again seemingly on a different page from the captain. Ryan couldn’t reel in the unexpected ball over his head and Chiefs number eight Greg Fisilau gobbled it up.
The Chiefs kicked clear and it looked like that would be it for the first half. Munster had one final possession as the Exeter kick stayed infield, but they struggled to get into good attacking shape.
Casey looked to move the ball away from a midfield ruck but hesitated and said, “Ah f**k” as he seemed confused about who the first receiver was.
After that hesitation, he fired a pass to Nankivell but Exeter now had a head start. Fisilau scythed Nankivell down and Vintcent jackaled for a clean poach. Second row Dafydd Jenkins stepped in to act as scrum-half, with Hooper then throwing a beautiful bridge pass wide to danger man Feyi-Waboso.
The England wing gathered the ball just in front of Munster’s 10-metre line. And he took off. His speed took him up into the Munster 22 and beyond the despairing tap tackle attempt of Kendellen.
Feyi-Waboso swerved back inside O’Connor and O’Donoghue, shrugged off Coombes, and fended Kilgallen powerfully with his left hand at the same time as stepping inside Crowley too.
He finished under the posts. Slade converted and at 31-0 down, Munster needed a miracle of a second half to rescue this knock-put game. They didn’t get it.
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Munster's shortcomings play into ruthless Exeter's hands
REGRETS? MUNSTER WILL have more than a few.
They’ll be sorry they didn’t capitalise when they had their first visit into Exeter territory in the 12th minute when it was still 0-0.
Munster had repelled early pressure from the Chiefs, with an Alex Nankivell try-saving tackle and a Tadhg Beirne turnover required.
Exeter then appeared fortunate not to see Immanuel Feyi-Waboso sin-binned for a deliberate knock on when Jack Crowley floated a pass over him towards Ben O’Connor. The linebreak seemed to be on, but referee Jeremy Rozier felt it was a penalty only.
That wasn’t in Munster’s control, but much of what followed was. They kicked down the line but as they attacked near the Exeter 22-metre line, Lee Barron’s attempted sweep pass out the back to Crowley came off John Ryan and went forward.
“That’s on me,” said Ryan as Exeter celebrated the turnover.
A scrum penalty against Jeremy Loughman followed, then Exeter scored off the resulting lineout.
It was a slick, snappy attack by the Chiefs leading to Ross Vincent’s try on his second carry in the three-phase play, but Munster will feel they conceded too easily. They got caught on their right edge on second phase as Feyi-Waboso made huge inroads, then Vincent surged into a big gap to finish.
Loughman and Beirne looked at each other and threw their arms out in dismay, both seemingly having thought the other would fill that gap. Munster struggled to get on the same page too often in the first half.
The visitors made a big linebreak in the next passage of play, Beirne’s tip-on pass sending Gavin Coombes clear before he found Crowley. The out-half had Craig Casey sprinting up on his inside but a strong scrambling effort from Olly Woodburn felled Crowley, preventing the try-scoring offload.
And it was Exeter flanker Tom Hooper who won the race to the breakdown and snuffed out a gilt-edged chance for Munster to equalise.
Instead, it was the Chiefs who scored next. This time, Munster teed the home team up with some poor attack in the middle of the pitch.
It seemed to be on for them in the shortside but they played open and Barron lost the gainline in a big double tackle by Jack Yeandle and Jimmy Roots.
Despite Exeter’s defence being in the ascendancy, Munster then forced things on the very next phase as Crowley tried to run a loop play around Nankivell, whose pass was in between the front-door running Diarmuid Kilgallen and Crowley out the back.
Again, Munster’s timing and cohesion were off. Kilgallen knocked on. Henry Slade gratefully gathered the ball as it ricocheted up, stepped inside Nankivell, and sprinted clear from 45 metres out.
There was a similar feel to the second Exeter intercept try, albeit Will Rigg ran this one home from 75 metres out.
Two minutes before Rigg picked them off, Munster had been struggling to win the gainline with their ball-carrying near the Exeter 22. Stumped by the excellent Exeter defence, they forced the ball out the back door, where Kilgallen knocked on.
A scrum free-kick gave them a reprieve but again Munster laboured in the carry. Then, when it wasn’t on to shift wider, they forced the ball.
Loughman swept out the back to Ben O’Connor and despite Exeter having the passing lane filled, he looked for a long, flat pass to Alex Kendellen. Rigg made the fairly straightforward intercept and scorched home.
Exeter had added a penalty from Slade in between their second and third tries, and they would have been happy with a 24-0 lead at the break.
But there was more self-inflicted damage for Munster before the best Exeter try of the lot.
With 38:10 on the clock, Barron threw into a Munster lineout 10 metres out from the Exeter tryline. A chance to salvage something from a troubled first half.
But the lineout was a botch from Munster. Beirne planted and jumped but Jack O’Donoghue and Coombes were late to the lift, again seemingly on a different page from the captain. Ryan couldn’t reel in the unexpected ball over his head and Chiefs number eight Greg Fisilau gobbled it up.
The Chiefs kicked clear and it looked like that would be it for the first half. Munster had one final possession as the Exeter kick stayed infield, but they struggled to get into good attacking shape.
Casey looked to move the ball away from a midfield ruck but hesitated and said, “Ah f**k” as he seemed confused about who the first receiver was.
After that hesitation, he fired a pass to Nankivell but Exeter now had a head start. Fisilau scythed Nankivell down and Vintcent jackaled for a clean poach. Second row Dafydd Jenkins stepped in to act as scrum-half, with Hooper then throwing a beautiful bridge pass wide to danger man Feyi-Waboso.
The England wing gathered the ball just in front of Munster’s 10-metre line. And he took off. His speed took him up into the Munster 22 and beyond the despairing tap tackle attempt of Kendellen.
Feyi-Waboso swerved back inside O’Connor and O’Donoghue, shrugged off Coombes, and fended Kilgallen powerfully with his left hand at the same time as stepping inside Crowley too.
He finished under the posts. Slade converted and at 31-0 down, Munster needed a miracle of a second half to rescue this knock-put game. They didn’t get it.
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Clayton McMillan Munster Regrets Tadhg Beirne too little too late