the number 24 for the occasion. On 10 December 2016, Munster beat Leicester 38–0 in round 3 of the Champions Cup. On 17 December 2016, Leicester won the reverse fixture in Welford Road 18–16 after a last-minute penalty from Owen Williams. On 7 January 2017, in the rescheduled round 1 fixture, Munster beat Racing 92 32–7 away from home. Simon Zebo's opening try was Munster's 400th in European competition. On 14 January 2017, Munster beat Glasgow 14–12 away from home to secure qualification for the quarter-finals. On 21 January 2017, in front of 26,200 spectators in Thomond Park, Munster beat Racing 92 22–10 in round 6 of the pool stage, securing a home quarter-final On 1 April 2017, in the quarter-final, Munster beat Toulouse 41–16 to progress to the semi-finals. On 22 April 2017, Munster were beaten 26–10 by defending champions Saracens in the Champions Cup semi-final, which was held in the Aviva Stadium, Dublin. Munster finished 1st after the 22-round regular season of the 2016–17 Pro12, with a record total of 86 points. On 20 May 2017, in their play-off semi-final, Munster beat Ospreys 23–3 in Thomond Park. 7 days later, in the 2017 Pro12 Grand Final, Munster lost 46–22 to Scarlets. Pro14 expansion When the draw for the 2017–18 European Rugby Champions Cup was made, Munster were drawn in pool 4 alongside Leicester Tigers, Racing 92 and Castres. It marked the third season in a row in which Munster faced Leicester and the second season in a row in which they will play Racing 92. On 30 June 2017, it was confirmed after weeks of speculation that director of rugby Rassie Erasmus and defence coach Jacques Nienaber would leave the province in December of that year. In August 2017, Celtic Rugby Limited and the South African Rugby Union confirmed that the two South African teams that had been cut from the southern hemisphere Super Rugby competition, Cheetahs and Southern Kings, would be joining an expanded Pro14 league ahead of the 2017–18 season. Due to the addition of two new teams, the league format was changed to feature two conferences, A and B, with Munster being placed in conference A alongside Cardiff Blues, Ospreys, Glasgow Warriors, Connacht, Cheetahs and Zebre Parma. In October 2017, Munster confirmed that then-South Africa forwards coach Johann van Graan would join the province in November as their new head coach. In the same month,