We've seen this movie before, but we still get sucked in.
Thomond Park, backs to the wall, win or bust, a hefty injury list and a Premiership heavyweight in town.
It's never easy with Munster, but then again it's never dull.
Almost all of Europe's big-hitters have suffered this fate, and today it was the turn of the Exeter Chiefs.
Having come into the second leg of this Heineken Champions Cup last 16 tie lucky to be just five points down, Munster needed to pull another one out of the bag. And as they usually do at Thomond Park in the Champions Cup, they proved the doubters wrong.
Peter O'Mahony was sorely missed at Sandy Park a week ago, and on his return today he produced one of his finest performances in Munster red.
And while the captain claimed the Player of the Match award, his out-half Joey Carbery drove the attack.
He scored Munster's opening 19 points to keep their heads above water, and after Damien de Allende's gorgeous try on 74 minutes all but sealed the win, the out-half landed his sixth kick from six attempts, sealing a 26-10 win on the day, and a 34-23 aggregate victory.
It was a game of unbearable tension, a result of the new home-and-away dynamic in the last 16, and while it looked like Exeter were beginning to gain steam early in the second half, they were no match for a relentlessly determined Munster down the stretch.
The 2020 champions brought a five-point lead to Limerick after last week's first leg in Devon, but within five minutes Munster had pegged the aggregate deficit back to two when Carbery kicked a penalty from 30 metres.
It gave the home side a 3-0 lead on the day, after some fine work at the breakdown from John Hodnett.
But Exeter landed the first real blow in the 11th minute when Sam Maunder's quick-tap penalty from five metres out brought him over the Munster line for the game's first try.
And to make matters worse for Van Graan's side, they were reduced to 14 men by referee Mathieu Raynal, Conor Murray sent to the sin bin having cynically tried to take Maunder down before the line.
Joe Simmonds sliced his conversion wide, but the Chiefs were 5-3 in front, and leading 18-11 on aggregate.
With Murray sidelined for 10 minutes, Munster needed to play smart, and a big Jack O'Donoghue carry from the base of a scrum got them gainline success and lifted the crowd noise a few decibels, before they forced an Exeter penalty.
Carbery called for the tee, and his kick reduced the aggregate arrears to 18-14, while shaving a few valuable seconds off the yellow card.
Exeter had the territory, and a strong breeze at their backs, but couldn't tag on any more points before Murray's return, with the scrum-half rejoining the game after a crucial jackal penalty won by O'Donoghue, by this stage all three of Munster's back row had earned penalties at the ruck in the opening quarter.
Their work at the breakdown was keeping them in it. Within 60 seconds Hodnett stole another ball at the ruck, and 30 seconds after that O'Mahony forced another penalty when he got in on top of Exeter prop Harry Williams.
The momentum was swinging Munster's direction, and on 26 minutes they hit the front for the first time across the two legs when Carbery scampered over for a try.
Having kicked a penalty to the corner, their maul was halted before a series of one-out runners brought them close to the tryline. O'Mahony's diving pass back to the blindside caught Exeter outnumbered, before Carbery's quick dummy saw him run through for their first try which he converted, sending Munster 13-5 in front, and nudging them 21-18 ahead on aggregate.
With the lead changing hands, the tension seemed to ratchet up, with the rest of the first half largely being played in the middle third.
Both sides were nervous, Exeter knocking on in a promising position on the left wing when the dangerous Tom O'Flaherty got outside Keith Earls, and Murray conceding a turnover after failing to use the ball at the back of a ruck.
The scrum battle was evenly matched too, John Ryan claiming a penalty out of Alec Hepburn, before giving one back a few minutes later, and it was from the latter, right on half time, that Simmonds decided to take a shot at goal.
The out-half could have levelled the aggregate scores, but for the second time he pushed it out to the right and wide, as the half time whistle sent the teams back into the changing room with Munster 13-5 ahead, and three points better on aggregate.
Munster came out cold in the second half, and by the 48th minute Exeter were back in front.
It began when Murray kicked out on the full, as the Premiership side slowly built momentum into Munster territory. Twice the hosts conceded penalties, and twice the visitors chose to tap-and-go, before Jacques Vermeulen crashed his way over for their second try of the afternoon.
Again, Simmonds couldn't judge the wind, his conversion rattling the post, but the Chiefs were 23-21 in front on aggregate, despite being 13-10 down on the day.
Two minutes later Vermeulen was again in the thick of it, winning a penalty just short of his own tryline, after isolating Josh Wycherley's carry.
The tension was becoming unbearable at Thomond Park, and even with the ground a few thousand short of capacity at 21,133, every tackle, knock-on and turnover was being treated like points.
As the hour mark hit, a powerful counter ruck followed up a dominant O'Mahony tackle, and it led to a Munster penalty, which Carbery pushed straight over the posts, sending Munster back in front by six on the day, and crucially 24-23 over the two games.
Carbery was looking red hot, and after an excellent touchfinder he had another chance to kick for points when Exeter conceded a needless penalty at the ruck.
It was just inside the Chiefs half and on the edge of his range, but his strike was clean and between the posts, putting Munster ahead by four in total.
On 74 minutes, the stadium erupted with one of the great Thomond Park tries.
Having pinned Exeter back, Munster forced a penalty advantage and a free shot to kill the tie off. Carbery found Mike Haley, whose last minute pass to Zebo left the wing with a lot of work to do.
The Exeter defence forced him towards touch before he flung an offload down to his right, where De Allende was ready and waiting to dive over in the corner.
It was Carbery's day though, and he maintained his 100% kicking record by nailing the touchline conversion, Munster 26-10 ahead on the day and 11 clear on aggregate at 34-23.
There was still time for one more goalline stand for Munster, and after a final turnover Craig Casey hoofed the ball into the stands.
Another chapter in the book of Munster, with at least one more to come in Europe this season against either Ulster or Toulouse.
Munster: Mike Haley; Keith Earls, Chris Farrell, Damian de Allende, Simon Zebo; Joey Carbery, Conor Murray; Josh Wycherley, Niall Scannell, John Ryan; Jean Kleyn, Fineen Wycherley; Peter O'Mahony (capt), John Hodnett, Jack O'Donoghue.
Replacements: Diarmuid Barron, Jeremy Loughman, Stephen Archer, Jason Jenkins, Thomas Ahern, Craig Casey, Ben Healy, Alex Kendellen.
Exeter Chiefs: Stuart Hogg; Olly Woodburn, Henry Slade, Ian Whitten, Tom O'Flaherty; Joe Simmonds, Sam Maunder; Alec Hepburn, Jack Yeandle (capt), Harry Williams; Jonny Gray, Sam Skinner; Dave Ewers, Jannes Kirsten, Jacques Vermeulen.
Replacements: Jack Innard, Billy Keast, Patrick Schickerling, Richard Capstick, Santiago Grondona, Jack Maunder, Tom Gilbert-Hendrickson, Josh Hodge.
Referee: Mathieu Raynal (FFR)
