Munster remain winless in Pool 3 of the Investec Champions Cup, after the URC champions gave up a commanding second half lead for the second week in a row, this time losing 32-24 to Exeter Chiefs.
Having been held to a 17-17 drawn at home against Bayonne just over a week ago, it got even worse at Sandy Park for Graham Rowntree's side, as they conceded three tries in the final 18 minutes to see a commanding lead slip.
The province had been on course for a huge win midway through the second half, when they were deservedly 24-13 in front. The visitors had been electric in attack in the opening half with Calvin Nash, Tom Ahern and Antoine Frisch's tries seeing them 19-10 in front at the break, while a Shane Daly try on 49 minutes secured a bonus-point, and put them 11 ahead.
The game flipped in a three-minute spell just after the hour mark.
With Exeter's bench beginning to get on top physically, a try for Ross Vintcent brought the hosts back within touching distance on 62 minutes, before a moment of calamity from Nash and Jack Crowley handed a try to former Leinster lock Jack Dunne (below), whose score on 64 minutes sent Exeter in front.
Trailing by three inside the final ten minutes, Munster did have chances to snatch the game back, with a series of penalties giving them possession in the Exeter half, but they couldn't make it stick.
And with the visitors chasing the game late on, Henry Slade intercepted a Conor Murray pass to sprint clear and put the seal on the hosts win.
It was a score that could have major implications on the pool, as it both gave Exeter a bonus-point in addition to their win, while it denied Munster picking up a losing BP of their own. Instead, the province will head back home with just a solitary point for their four tries scored.
Munster took a sixth-minute lead following a frenetic opening, their forwards exerting sustained pressure before a superb 30-metre pass from scrum-half Craig Casey gave Nash a simple run-in.
The hosts soon responded with their first try. A break from full-back Tommy Wyatt, well supported by locks Rusi Tuima and Dafydd Jenkins, took Chiefs into the opposition 22, from where Frost forced his way over.
Slade’s conversion brought the sides level so it was 7-7 at the end of an evenly-contested first quarter.
Munster regained the lead thanks to an alert piece of play from Jack Crowley. The outside half saw the hosts’ cover was lacking on the right flank so he chipped the ball forward for Ahern to collect and gallop 45 metres to the line.
Slade reduced the arrears with a 40-metre penalty but his side immediately bungled the restart and Munster were back in the home 22, where they made Chiefs pay.
Clever inter-play between Ahern, Casey and Daly culminated in a long pass from Daly which provided Frisch with an unopposed run to the line. Crowley converted and his side held a deserved 19-10 interval lead.
Slade kept Exeter in contention with his second penalty four minutes after the restart, but Munster soon scored their bonus-point try.
A break from Frisch sent Diarmuid Barron on a run deep into the hosts’ 22, from where the ball was recycled for Daly to score.
Exeter immediately responded by sending on five replacements in a bid to galvanise their efforts and, within three minutes, two more followed.
Slade had a chance to kick a simple three points but Chiefs opted for an attacking line-out and it proved the wrong call as the visitors kept their line intact.
However, Exeter were able to maintain the pressure and were rewarded when replacement Vintcent crashed over under the posts.
A minute later, the game turned on its head when Exeter scored a second. Nash was all at sea in dealing with an awkwardly bouncing ball and it fell into the hands of Dunne, who gratefully touched down, with Slade’s conversion giving the home side a three-point lead going into the final 10 minutes.
Exeter were fortunate to escape a yellow card for Harvey Skinner’s challenge on Crowley, but Slade then intercepted a Conor Murray pass before running 50 metres to secure a valuable five points, and compound Munster's frustrations.
Additional reporting: PA
Exeter Chiefs: Tom Wyatt; Olly Woodburn, Henry Slade, Joe Hawkins, Ben Hammersley; Harvey Skinner, Tom Cairns; Scott Sio, Dan Frost, Ehren Painter; Rus Tuima, Dafydd Jenkins; Lewis Pearson, Jacques Vermeulen, Greg Fisilau.
Replacements: Max Norey, Nika Abuladze, Marcus Street, Jack Dunne, Ross Vintcent, Stu Townsend, Ollie Devoto, Rory O'Loughlin.
Munster: Shane Daly; Calvin Nash, Antoine Frisch, Alex Nankivell, Seán O'Brien; Jack Crowley, Craig Casey; Jeremy Loughman, Diarmuid Barron, Stephen Archer; Gavin Coombes, Tadhg Beirne (C); Tom Ahern, John Hodnett, Jack O'Donoghue.
Replacements: Eoghan Clarke, Josh Wycherley, Oli Jager, Brian Gleeson, Alex Kendellen, Conor Murray, Rory Scannell, Ben O'Connor.
Referee: Mathieu Raynal (Fra)
