Munster continued their underwhelming start in the Champions Cup this afternoon, failing to capitalise on some brilliant first half play as they fell to a 32-24 defeat at the Exeter Chiefs.
Graham Rowntree's side looked to be in a dominant position in the game at one point, performing the better of the two sides and playing some brilliant rugby at times. They scored four tries in the game, with this team effort finished off by Tom Ahern being the pick of them.
𝑭𝒂𝒏𝒕𝒂𝒔𝒕𝒊𝒄 from Munster 😍
A stunning second try sees @Munsterrugby number six Tom Ahern power down the wing for a brilliant finish ⚡️#InvestecChampionsCup | #EXEvMUN pic.twitter.com/fCujaX5FtF— Rugby on TNT Sports (@rugbyontnt) December 17, 2023
However, despite leading by 11 points midway through the second half, they would come out on the wrong end of the result.
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Former Leinster man condemns Munster to Champions Cup defeat
Munster will have a few minutes just after the hour mark to thank for their loss on this occasion. Leading by 11 points, they would concede two quick-fire tries as the match was flipped on its head.
This try got Exeter right back into the game after the struggled to create much for much of the opening hour of the game.
𝑮𝒂𝒎𝒆 𝒐𝒏 at Sandy Park 💪@ExeterChiefs are right back in this! They are within a score with 17 minutes remaining! #InvestecChampionsCup | #EXEvMUN pic.twitter.com/UGLcEUvLgA
— Rugby on TNT Sports (@rugbyontnt) December 17, 2023
Disaster would ten strike for Munster just a couple of minutes later.
After Calvin Nash failed to deal with a kick deep into Munster territory, former Leinster man Jack Dunne would capitalise on the bouncing ball to wrestle it from the opposition and put the Chiefs in front.
"WHAT ARE WE WITNESSING HERE!" 🤯
Jack Dunne completes a 𝒔𝒆𝒏𝒔𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏𝒂𝒍 comeback for @ExeterChiefs with an incredible try 🔥
Two tries in three minutes and Exeter now lead by three points! #InvestecChampionsCup | #EXEvMUN pic.twitter.com/HkKtscL24r— Rugby on TNT Sports (@rugbyontnt) December 17, 2023
Former St Michael's College man Dunne is a product of the Leinster academy, making a number of appearances for the first team before moving to Exeter in 2022.
Trailing by three points in the closing stages, Munster would push for an equalising or winning score in the final moments of the contest. However, a stray pass from Conor Murray would release Jack Slade away to score another try for the hosts, denying the visitors the losing bonus point in the process.
In the end, it would finish 32-24 to the English club.
This result means that Munster have picked up only three points from their first two Champions Cup pool games, despite having lead comfortably in both matches.
With tricky games against Toulon and Northampton to come, they will have to improve quite a bit if they are to avoid an embarrassing early exit from the competition.
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