Benetton game too soon for returning Chiefs stars

Rob Baxter's Exeter Chiefs side secured a Challenge Cup quarter-final spot with a 31-21 victory against Munster [Getty Images] Exeter Chiefs director of rugby Rob Baxter says his side's European Challenge Cup quarter-final against Benetton in northern Italy will come too soon for the return of key players Len Ikitau and Ethan Roots. Chiefs withstood a second-half fightback from Munster to hold on for a 31-21 victory at a blustery Sandy Park in Baxter's first game since it was announced he had agreed a new "multi-year" deal to continue his 17-year reign. The win has set up a tie against Italian club Benetton, who won all four matches in the pool stage and edged out Cardiff in an 11-try thriller in the round of 16.

Wingers Immanuel Feyi-Waboso and Paul Brown-Bampoe shone in Saturday's victory against Munster and they will be on the plane for Sunday's crunch clash. But Australia international centre Ikitau, 27, who suffered a shoulder injury in December , and England back row Roots, 28, who has been ruled out since a calf tear last month , remain unavailable for selection. "We came through the weekend with a clean bill of health," Baxter told BBC Radio Devon.

"Obviously, a few bumps and bruises. We made an awful lot of tackles. We made double the tackles of Munster, which was a fantastic defensive effort in the second half, which ultimately won us the game.

"Len is getting closer by the day. He's running around, he's doing quite a bit. "He was doing a little bit of contact on bags yesterday, which is always a good sign, and he's kind of in the mix of being a week or so away.