Heineken Champions Cup: Exeter Chiefs 33-33 Montpellier - hosts win on try countback

Tom Wyatt scored Exeter's third try against Montpellier

Exeter reached the Champions Cup quarter-finals by scoring more tries than 14-man Montpellier in a thriller that finished 33-33 after extra time.

Joe Simmonds converted Jack Yeandle's try in the 100th minute to level the scores, with Chiefs having scored five tries to Montpellier's four.

The visitors had Zach Mercer sent off in the second half but Paolo Garbisi's penalty took the game into extra time.

Louis Carbonel's try put Montpellier ahead before Exeter's late heroics.

Chiefs, the 2020 champions, will host South African side Stormers at Sandy Park next weekend for a place in the last four.

The last-16 tie had started dramatically, with Montpellier losing hooker Brandon Paenga-Amosa to a leg injury in the third minute only for his replacement Curtis Langdon to scored the game's first try in the left corner.

Exeter were soon further behind when Vincent Rattez crossed for Montpellier, but the hosts clawed their way back when prop Scott Sio went over for a converted try.

Chiefs took the lead when Joe Simmonds converted his brother Sam's try, and Exeter were in control until Garbisi landed a penalty to give the visitors a 15-14 advantage at half-time.

Montpellier seemed to have gone further ahead with a try from former Bath number eight Mercer early in the second half until it was ruled out for an infringement in the build-up.

Mercer, the Top 14 player of last season, was then dismissed for a shoulder-to-head tackle on Christ Tshiunza, but Garbisi's second penalty extended Montpellier's lead.

However, Exeter hit back with tries from Tom Wyatt - making his first European start - and Josh Iosefa-Scott putting them 26-18 in front, while Montpellier were frustrated by Thomas Darmon's score being disallowed for a knock-on.

Lenni Nouchi then went over near the corner flag, but Garbisi missed the difficult conversion to leave the game at 26-23 as the clock ticked past 80 minutes. But the Montpellier fly-half made amends with a 45-metre penalty that took the game into extra time.

Exeter were held up over the line late in the first added period, while Carbonel's penalty attempt from his own half went just under the bar, but the Montpellier replacement soon sliced through a gap for a converted try to make it 26-33.

But Exeter were not done, and Yeandle crossed just to the right of the posts with Joe Simmonds slotting the crucial kick to seal Chiefs' place in the last eight.

'You can make good things happen' - what they said

Exeter rugby director Rob Baxter said: "I am really pleased for the players. We've challenged them a bit this season around some of the highs and lows of performances.

"We really looked like a team that wanted to win and wanted to work hard. I don't know if Montpellier being reduced to 14 men made it harder for us. It seemed to energise them - they grew and grew.

"Overall, those emotional rollercoasters, coming through that, it shows you can make good things happen."

'I just don't like the whole process'

On Mercer's sending off after numerous video replays, Baxter added: "I just don't like the whole process. We played London Irish a couple of weeks ago and you have the whole stadium booing every time they want a replay.

"We have to do something about it. It's not good for the game. Whether decisions are right or wrong, this convoluted look at the replay to see whether it's a penalty, yellow or red card with the crowd booing every collision, I just don't like it.

"To me, that is not what rugby should be about. We should be feeling like we want the contest to be between 15 players on each side when possible, not trying to create red cards as a spectator sport. None of that is positive for the game."

Line-ups

Exeter: Wyatt; Nowell (capt), Slade, O'Brien, Woodburn; J Simmonds, Becconsall; Sio, Frost, Street, Gray, Jenkins, Kirsten, Tshiunza, S Simmonds.

Replacements: Yeandle, Hepburn, Iosefa-Scott, Davis, Ewers, Cairns, Skinner, Hodge

Montpellier: Bouthier (capt); Lam, Darmon, Serfontein, Rattez; Garbisi, Reinach; Forletta, Paenga-Amosa, Thomas, Stooke, Duguid, Van Rensburg, Dakuwaqa, Mercer.

Replacements: Langdon, Lamositele, Haouas, Nouchi, Coly, Carbonel, Bridge, Tauleigne.

Referee: Andrew Brace (Wal)

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