Northampton beat Exeter to win Prem Rugby title

The Prem final

Northampton (14) 26

Tries: Freeman, Smith, Hendy 2 Cons: Smith 3

Exeter (10) 17

Tries: Ridl, Iosefa-Scott, Jenkins Cons: Slade

George Hendy's two tries in three second-half minutes secured Northampton the Prem title as they beat Exeter 26-17 in the final at Allianz Stadium.

Hendy's scores inside the final quarter opened up a nip and tuck game as Saints won the title for a third time.

Tommy Freeman capitalised on an Exeter error to put Saints ahead inside two minutes before Campbell Ridl hit back in an all-action opening.

Fin Smith's try put Saints back in front only for Josh Iosefa-Scott to go over seconds before the interval as Exeter cut the gap to four points.

Northampton's Josh Kemeny was sin-binned after 51 minutes, with Exeter skipper Dafydd Jenkins going over to give his side the lead moments later.

Jenkins was yellow-carded himself five minutes later and, with an extra player, Hendy's 64th-minute try put Saints in front again before getting his second moments later.

The occasion appeared to get to Exeter as they suffered the worst possible start when the fit-again Feyi-Waboso bumped into Olly Woodburn, who was catching Archie McParland's dinked kick towards the Exeter corner, and Freeman snaffled up the loose ball before diving in.

Henry Pollock was held up over the Exeter line five minutes later as Northampton – backed by a noisy crowd from the East Midlands – adapted to the big day better than the Chiefs.

Exeter's nightmare opening was compounded when in-form hooker Max Norey limped off with an ankle injury moments later.

But just when it seemed as though Exeter might crumble, they hit back as Len Ikitau gathered the ball after Freeman tried to keep a kick in play and fed Ridl, who raced in down the left wing for his 17th try in all competitions in his debut season.

Chiefs could have gone further ahead in the following minutes, but Saints thwarted dangerous breaks by Henry Slade and Stephen Varney, while George Furbank dropped a pass with the Exeter line beckoning in the 18th minute.

But Saints breached Exeter for a second time eight minutes from the break when Smith went in after a number of phases deep in Chiefs territory.

However, in the final seconds of the half Exeter got their second try as they kicked a penalty to the corner and Iosefa-Scott gathered the ball at the back of the resulting lineout and forced his way in.

Saints started the second half with the same intent as the first but Exeter's defence held out for 14 phases in and around their line in the opening five minutes in a stand reminiscent of the end of their semi-final win at Bath last week.

Rory Hutchinson had a try ruled out for a knock-on two minutes later as the table-toppers looked to assert themselves.

But the momentum swung when Kemeny was sin-binned for a 51st-minute head to head clash with Jenkins, and a few phases after Exeter had kicked the resulting penalty for a close-range lineout the Wales lock forced his way in.

Saints were dealt a further blow when England scrum-half Alex Mitchell – on as a first-half replacement for the injured McParland – dropped the ball under a challenge from Ridl as he went over the Exeter line.

However, in the aftermath replays showed Jenkins had put in a dangerous challenge on Furbank and he was sent to the sin-bin with 23 minutes left.

Saints dominated the ball with the extra man and were rewarded when Hendy dived over in the right corner after a fine flowing move across the field.

And when he went over again shortly afterwards it proved to be the hammer blow for Exeter's hopes as Saints reclaimed the crown they lost to Bath 12 months ago.

As Northampton skipper Furbank lifted the trophy on his final appearance before joining Harlequins, he leaves a Saints side who have become the team to beat in recent years.

Just three league defeats this season saw Saints top the table as they reached their third final in as many seasons, having won the Prem two years ago and made last season's Champions Cup final.

While Furbank may be departing, Saints fans will hope that with stars such as Smith, man-of-the-match Pollock and Freeman forming the backbone of their side they will be coming back to Twickenham in the not too distant future.

For Exeter, even though they have lost a final for a fifth time in seven attempts, the game caps a remarkable revival after finishing ninth last season - the club's worst top flight placing since promotion in 2010.

The Chiefs suffered a record 79-17 loss at Gloucester last April and won only four league games all season – two against weakened teams – as the Devon side looked to be in turmoil.

But new coaches and a number of new players such as Ikitau, Varney and Tom Hooper have reignited a side that dominated the domestic scene for the second half of the last decade.

With new American investment on the horizon, Chiefs will be hoping that, despite defeat, this is the start of another dynasty like that one that began a decade ago when they made six successive Premiership finals and won the 2020 European Champions Cup.

Northampton director of rugby Phil Dowson told BBC Sport:

"We were outstanding throughout the season, it's nice now to be able to put a full stop on it with a big tin cup and say 'we were the best side in the league'.

"I think it looked like a final.

"That was a proper final where it was nip and tuck, there were opportunities, we got held up, they got held up.

"We maybe weren't as clinical as we'd have liked to have been, and that can certainly change the pressure.

"But I thought at 60 minutes to go we felt in a good space and the messages that were coming back to the coaching group from how the players were talking to each other and connecting was very positive.

"You bring on people like Callum Chick and Fraser Dingwall, who have been there before, and the last 20 minuets we looked very strong."

Departing Northampton captain George Furbank told BBC Sport:

"I said to the boys I don't really know how to feel after the final whistle.

"It was a mix of relief, happiness, sadness, all merged into one.

"It was a different feeling to the last time we won it - I think we're going to have a good few days to celebrate and it'll all sink in.

Exeter director of rugby Rob Baxter told BBC Sport:

"The first thing you have to do in a final is congratulate the opposition because otherwise when you just talk about yourself - it just feels like you're critiquing and criticising yourself, and thinking these are the things we could have done.

"We had them deep into the game, under pressure, scores behind, they've kind of stuck with what they do.

"I'll look back and I'll go 'we must have been pretty good because we forced two tries out of kicks through', one where for whatever reason we don't get our comms quite right and we actually just bump the ball out of our own hands into their hands for one try, and then the last try where they slide it through and it's almost on a pinpoint.

"You look and go 'well, we forced Northampton to score 12 points with two relatively speculative kicks through, that's a pretty pretty good performance from us'."

Northampton: Furbank (c); Freeman, Litchfield, Hutchinson, Hendy; Smith, McParland; Iyogun, Langdon, Millar Mills; Coles, Prowse, Kemeny, Pearson, Pollock.

Replacements: Wright, Fischetti, Green, Van der Mescht, Lockett, Chick, Mitchell, Dingwall.

Yellow card: Kemeny (51)

Exeter: Woodburn; Feyi-Waboso, Slade, Ikitau, Ridl; Skinner, Varney; Sio, Norey, Iosefa-Scott; Jenkins (c), Zambonin, Hooper, Roots, Fisilau.

Replacements: Dweba, Burger, Tchumbadze, Tshiunza, Vintcent, James, Cairns, Haydon-Wood.

Yellow card: Jenkins (57)

Referee: Matthew Carley.