Exeter Chiefs will combat a familiar foe in the last 16 of the Investec Champions Cup after a 40-17 defeat in Bayonne set up a clash with Bath at Sandy Park.

Three pool group wins had already assured the Chiefs a home tie in the next round and that probably influenced their lacklustre display in the south of France, but take nothing away from Bayonne, who were scintillating in their attacking work.

Tom Spring touched down inside the first minute for Bayonne but a neat line-out routine from the Chiefs saw Dan Frost catch the ball at the back and race clear for the score. Bayonne responded in emphatic fashion, Kote Mikautadze and Aurelien Callandret powering over to leave Exeter with a mountain to climb.

The incline got steeper on 33 minutes, when Victor Hannoun finished a superb team move to leave the Chiefs trailing by 19 points at the interval.

Fresh from being named Wales captain for the Six Nations campaign, Dafydd Jenkins reduced the deficit less than a minute into the second period and Rus Tuima also touched down for the Chiefs, who sensed a comeback.

Those aspirations were extinguished by a brace of tries from replacement Federico Mori and the loss of Joe Hawkins to a red card for a head-on-head tackle, plus two sin bins, confirmed defeat for the Chiefs.

If Exeter do get past Bath in the last 16, they will take on either Toulouse or Racing in the quarter-finals.

European Cup Fixtures
(1) Toulouse v Racing 92 (16)
(2) Leinster v Leicester Tigers (15)
(3) Northampton v Munster (14)
(4) Bordeaux Begles v Saracens (13)
(5) Harlequins v Glasgow Warriors (12)
(6) Bulls v Lyon (11)
(7) Stormers v La Rochelle (10)
(8) Exeter Chiefs v Bath (9)
Seedings in brackets

As well as Jenkins leading Wales in the Six Nations, three more Chiefs have been named in the England squad; Henry Slade, Immanuel Feyi-Waboso and Ethan Roots. England start their campaign away to Italy on Saturday, February 3.

The Chiefs travel to Saracens in the Gallagher Premiership this weekend.