Northampton beat Exeter to win Prem Rugby title

Image source, Getty ImagesImage caption, England A winger George Hendy took his tally to 18 tries in all competitions for Northampton this season Tries: Freeman, Smith, Hendy 2 Cons: Smith 3 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. Image source, Getty ImagesImage caption, Tommy Freeman's early try stunned Exeter 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. Image source, Getty ImagesImage caption, Dafydd Jenkins' try briefly put Exeter into the lead before Hendy's heroics 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. Image source, ShutterstockImage caption, George Hendy wrote his name into Northampton history 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

Northampton beat Exeter to win Prem Rugby title

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Northampton beat Exeter to win Prem Rugby title

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