Northampton Saints were crowned Gallagher Premiership champions with a 26-17 victory over Exeter Chiefs at Allianz Stadium, decided by George Hendy's quickfire try double in the final quarter.
Match Overview
Saints wasted numerous chances and trailed 17-14 before Hendy struck. He finished in the right corner in the 65th minute after an attack from deep, then two minutes later claimed his second when Fin Smith grubbered ahead. Northampton's finishing touch, their calling card all season, finally emerged.
Exeter were more comfortable amid the final's frantic pace, defending fiercely, but they struggled with a misfiring line-out and creaky scrum. Northampton's class told in the closing stages, and they coped with the early exit of scrum-half Archie McParland to injury after just 11 minutes, replaced by Alex Mitchell.
Key Moments
The opening two tries came from errors. A mix-up between Immanuel Feyi-Waboso and Olly Woodburn over a McParland kick allowed Tommy Freeman to score. Freeman then threw a speculative pass intercepted by Len Ikitau, and Campbell Ridl showed his pace to score for Exeter.
McParland and Exeter hooker Max Norey limped off, but the pace continued. In the 32nd minute, Fin Smith dived over after Alex Coles' break. Exeter responded just before half-time when a line-out throw fell to Josh Iosefa-Scott, who rampaged through for a try.
Second Half Drama
Committed defending kept Saints out, and Josh Kemeny was sin-binned for head contact with Dafydd Jenkins. Jenkins then scored to give Exeter the lead, but he was later yellow-carded for a dangerous tackle. Mitchell lost control of the ball while scoring, but Hendy's double sealed the win.
Victory cements Northampton's place as the dominant force in English club rugby of the mid-2020s, after finishing top of the regular season table with their swashbuckling style.
