The spirit is always willing in Exeter but their stamina had been sorely tested.
There was the question, too, of whether Exeter had fully recharged their batteries after their marathon extra-time thriller against Montpellier six days previously. It also totally confounded pre-game forecasts that the visitors’ all-Springbok front row would prove too strong. It felt more like what Exeter Chiefs are about and the result took care of itself,” he said. “We’ve made things very simple for ourselves and did not beat ourselves, as we have this season. Rob Baxter, Exeter’s director of rugby, stressed it was a team effort that ranked alongside the very best he has known. “Our competitions truly are the pinnacle of professional club rugby, and we have to ensure that they continue to engage and to enthral existing and new audiences along the way.The upshot was one of the great rugby occasions, sealed with two further late tries from their faithful replacement hooker, Jack Yeandle, and the young scrum-half Tom Cairns. “We will continue to work with our stakeholders to look at ways in which we can improve both tournaments, an objective which is at the heart of our strategy and commitment to fans, clubs and partners. The Challenge Cup will comprise 18 teams in three pools of six, with games in both tournaments being played over eight weekends and culminating in finals at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium next May.Įuropean Professional Club Rugby chairman Dominic McKay said: “Our focus has always been to ensure that everyone can easily understand, engage with and follow our tournaments, and also to ensure we have a structure that creates real sporting jeopardy in as many matches as possible.
The leading four clubs in each pool will qualify for the round of 16, and each fifth-placed team progress to the European Challenge Cup knockout phase. Each team will play four games against four different clubs who are not from the same league, either home or away, during the pool stage. Tottenham Hotspur Stadium will host the 2024 Champions Cup and Challenge Cup finals (Ben Whitley/PA)Īnd there are no matches between clubs from the same league.
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