Exeter Chiefs ease past Connacht to book Challenge Cup quarter-final spot

Exeter Chiefs have defeated Connacht 33-24 at Galway Sportsgrounds to leave themselves in pole position to advance through as Pool 2 winners in the Challenge Cup.

Just five minutes were on the clock when the hosts edged ahead courtesy of Matt Healy, who crossed over in the corner following a well-worked scrum.

Exeter were level on the 20-minute mark when the referee awarded a penalty try, and Henry Slade made no mistake with the conversion to give his side the lead.

Willie Falloon and Danie Poolan both crossed over before the interval to put Connacht back in control, however, the former of which came about after a 13-man maul powered over the line near the left touchline.

Slade did find the sticks with a penalty to sandwich those two tries after the referee warned the Irish Pro 12 outfit about their growing penalty count.

Exeter made the perfect start to the second half when Dean Mumm intercepted a loose ball and charged 40m to cross over, just moments after Slade had kicked over from another pen.

The Chiefs extended their advantage to 13 points when Slade kicked over for the third time, coupled with Don Armand's try from close range which followed some strong running from his teammates to create the opening.

That lead was stretched even further when Slade added to his personal account for the evening, and despite Matt Healy crossing over five minutes from time, Exeter saw the game out with ease to leave themselves in a strong position.