Chiefs give the champions a scare at Sandy Park

A bit like a holiday romance, you make friends early on; you promise to meet again in the future; but in reality you end up going your separate ways.

Well, in the case of Exeter Chiefs, they sadly saw their European escapades end on a sad note, but not before giving reigning Heineken Cup champions Leinster another half decent scare.

Having been edged out narrowly 9-6 in Dublin back in October, the Irishmen again prevailed in this final Pool 5 encounter, gaining the all-important five points they had craved from their travels to the Westcountry.

Irish internationals Gordon D’Arcy, Rob Kearney, Brian O’Driscoll and Jamie Heaslip all crossed for tries for the visitors; whilst fly-half Jonathan Sexton weighed in with the remainder of the points for the three-time champions.

That, you would think, would be more than enough to put a smile on the faces of the Dubliners, but as they departed back across the Irish Sea late on Saturday evening, Joe Schmidt’s men were still left wondering whether their title defence will continue into the latter stages.

The champions duly completed their mission by claiming maximum reward, but even then Irish rivals Munster could yet pip them to the final qualifying berth should they reach 20 points and a total of 13 tries when they face Racing Metro.

For the Chiefs, however, their first-ever experience of European Rugby’s premier competition has served them well.

Not only have Rob Baxter and his team got to challenge the very best the competition has to offer, but the lessons learnt from their various outings against Leinster, Clermont Auvergne and Scarlets will no doubt serve them well not just this season, but you would say for years to come

For the full report go to http://bit.ly/YguQ93