| Home team | Exeter Chiefs |
| Away team | Munster |
| Venue | Sandy Park |
| Competition | European Challenge Cup |
| Kick off time | 12:30 pm (UK) |
| Watch Live in the UK | Premier Sports |
Exeter Chiefs vs Munster European Challenge Cup at Sandy Park for the Round of 16 of the tournament.
Exeter finished seventh in the overall table as they were the best-ranked third-place team in the competition, as they picked up two wins and a draw in their four group games. Munster dropped down from the Champions Cup as the second-highest-ranked fifth-placed team in their group. They only won one match but picked up four bonus points in their games.
Former Chiefs out-half from Ireland, Gareth Steenson, commented that there was a great rivalry between these teams.
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Exeter Chiefs vs Munster confirmed lineups and team news
Exeter Chiefs (1-15):
Sio, Yeandle, Roots, Jenkins, Zambonin, Hooper, Vintcent, Fisilau, Varney, Skinner, Feyi-Waboso, Rigg, Slade, Brown-Bampoe, Woodburn
Replacements (16-23):
Dweba, Burger, Tchumbadze, Tuima, Worley-Brady, Cairns, Haydon-Wood, Ridl
Munster (1-15):
Loughman, Barron, Ryan, E Edogbo, Beirne, O’Donoghue, Kendellen, Coombes, Casey, Crowley, Kilgallen, Nankivell, Farrell, Abrahams, O’Conor
Replacements (16-23):
Scannell, Milne, Ala’alatoa, Ahern, Quinn, O’Donovan, O’Brien, Hodnett
Recent Form:
Exeter Chiefs (Home team): W-W-L-W-L
The Exeter Chiefs have won both of their Prem games since the return of the competition, since the end of the Six Nations. In the last round of the Prem, they picked up a 38-14 win away to Newcastle. They were leading 38-7 two minutes after half-time and controlled the game to a comfortable victory with the Newcastle Red Bulls scoring in the final moments.
Munster (Away team): L-L-W-L-W
Munster have just returned from a difficult tour in South Africa, with both games ending in defeat for the tourists against the Bulls and the Sharks. Their last two wins in the URC both came at home to the bottom two sides in the league. They have lost all of their away games in 2026 (five matches). In the last URC round against the Bulls, Munster were much improved as they lost 34-31. Edwin Edogbo gave them life as he scored with five minutes to go to bring Munster within three points.
Exeter Chiefs vs Munster head-to-head record (last five matches):
| Date | Competition | Winner | Score |
| 17th December 2023 | Champions Cup | Exeter | 32-24 |
| 16th April 2022 | Champions Cup | Munster | 26-10 |
| 9th April 2022 | Champions Cup | Exeter | 13-8 |
| 19th January 2019 | Champions Cup | Munster | 9-7 |
| 13th October 2018 | Champions Cup | Draw | 10-10 |
The away side has never won between the Exeter Chiefs and Munster, with the only game that didn’t end as a win for either home team being in the 2018 draw. The biggest margin of victory in these games was by 16 points. Other than the last two meetings, the matches have been relatively low scoring, with the highest scoring team in the other three matches being 13 points.
How to watch Exeter Chiefs vs Munster?
Exeter Chiefs vs Munster will be available to watch on Premier Sports 1. Coverage starts at 12 pm for a 12:30 pm kick-off.
