Johann van Graan praised Keith Earls’s selflessness in putting his side first after ruling himself out of Munster’s European clash at Exeter just before kick-off.

The ride into Exeter was not for the faint of heart, Munster’s charter flight buffeted violently in gale force winds. The landing was pretty white-knuckled too, not helped by the knowledge that five earlier flights had been diverted at that stage. It all made for a strong test of the constitution which would serve Johann van Graan’s men well on Saturday at Sandy Park, writes Donal Lenihan.

In total there are five changes to the side defeated by Scotland at Murrayfield.

Devastation is a strong word to use in a mere sporting context, but it is one Cian Healy opted for yesterday as he contemplated the three-week ban handed to him in December for an ugly incident in Leinster’s Dublin defeat of Exeter Chiefs.

Leinster will have to do without in-form Ireland prop Cian Healy for the Christmas and new year interprovincial derbies after he was suspended for three weeks last night.

Stuart Lancaster has confirmed he has had no contact with Northampton Saints about their vacant director of rugby position and that he has no intention of calling time on his involvement with Leinster.

Manu Tuilagi’s citing for a dangerous tackle on Champions Cup duty has compelled his former Lions team-mate Brian O’Driscoll to complain that the “game has gone soft”.

Leinster 22 Exeter Chiefs 17: There are any number of arbitrary ways to measure a team’s progress, but it seemed the obvious thing to think back to Leinster’s semi-final loss to Clermont Auvergne last April as they snatched victory from the jaws of defeat on Saturday evening.

Peter Jackson analyses the good and bad from the Champions Cup...

Leinster overcame the reigning English champions and league leaders for the second time in six days this evening.

Ospreys 25 Exeter 13: Exeter became the first English club to lose in this season’s European Champions Cup after Wales star Dan Biggar led the Ospreys’ Liberty Stadium victory march.

Ireland squad manager Mick Kearney insists Cian Healy’s recovery from neck surgery is “coming on fine”.

European Rugby Challenge Cup