Northampton Saints beat Exeter Chiefs to win Prem rugby title at Twickenham

Northampton Saints claimed their third Premiership crown after defeating Exeter Chiefs 26-17 in a thrilling final at the Allianz Stadium in Twickenham.

George Hendy proved the match-winner with a devastating double inside the closing quarter, his two tries arriving within just three minutes of each other to break open what had been an intensely competitive encounter.

The victory marks another landmark achievement for the East Midlands club, whose vocal travelling supporters witnessed a contest that swung back and forth before Hendy's intervention proved decisive.

Tommy Freeman and Fin Smith also crossed for Saints, whilst Exeter's points came through tries from Campbell Ridl, Josh Iosefa-Scott and captain Dafydd Jenkins.

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The final began in chaotic fashion, with Exeter's nerves seemingly getting the better of them from the outset.

A returning Immanuel Feyi-Waboso collided with teammate Olly Woodburn as the latter attempted to collect Archie McParland's chip towards the corner, allowing Freeman to pounce on the loose ball and score the first try of the game.

Henry Pollock came agonisingly close to extending Saints' advantage shortly afterwards, held up just short of the tryline as Northampton's supporters roared them on.

Exeter's troubles deepened when influential hooker Max Norey departed with an ankle problem.

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The Chiefs found a response through Ridl, who collected from Len Ikitau and sprinted down the left flank for his 17th score of a remarkable debut campaign.

Smith extended Northampton's lead eight minutes before half-time, crossing after sustained pressure deep in Chiefs territory through multiple phases.

Exeter refused to yield, however, and snatched a crucial try in the dying moments of the opening period when Iosefa-Scott powered over from the back of a lineout following a penalty kicked to the corner, reducing the deficit to just four points at the interval.

The second half brought further drama when Saints flanker Josh Kemeny received a yellow card on 51 minutes.

Exeter capitalised immediately, with skipper Jenkins crashing over to hand his side their first lead of the afternoon.

Jenkins himself then saw yellow five minutes later, shifting the numerical advantage back to Northampton.

With the extra man on the pitch, Hendy seized his moment in the 64th minute, touching down to restore Saints' advantage.

Remarkably, the full-back was over again just moments later, completing his brace within a three-minute spell that effectively ended Exeter's hopes of a comeback.

The Chiefs, who had threatened throughout and led briefly through their captain's score, simply could not recover from Hendy's devastating intervention.

What had been a tightly contested affair throughout suddenly became comfortable for Northampton, who saw out the remaining minutes to secure their place in Premiership history.

For Saints, it represented the perfect conclusion to their campaign, whilst Exeter were left to reflect on what might have been.

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