Northampton Saints clinched their second Prem Rugby title in three years, coming from behind to beat Exeter Chiefs
Two George Hendy tries in three final-quarter minutes saw Northampton Saints come from behind to beat Exeter Chiefs 26-17 and clinch the 2026 Prem Rugby title at Twickenham.
Saints were seeking their third Prem crown after previously becoming champions of England in 2014 and 2024, and scored tries through Tommy Freeman and Fin Smith in addition to Hendy’s crucial double in the 65th and 68th minutes.Exeter – who came from 16 points down to knock out defending champions Bath in the semis – fell 14-5 behind in the contest but hit back through Josh Iosefa-Scott and Dafydd Jenkins tries to lead by three points. Cameron Ridl had scored the Chiefs’ first in a chance-filled first half, but the last of Exeter’s tries arrived with Northampton back-row Josh Kemeny in the sin-bin. Once Jenkins joined him after a high-tackle offence, Saints took control to fight back and claim glory. George Hendy finished marvellously for two tries in three second-half minutes to turn a three-point deficit to a nine-point lead A packed out Twickenham played host to a hugely entertaining Prem Rugby final Northampton took the lead in the final inside two minutes as a backline calamity from Exeter presented a gift wing Freeman could not fail to take – Immanuel Feyi-Waboso colliding with Olly Woodburn by the Chiefs try-line to pop the ball loose for Freeman to score.As Exeter looked to respond, Henry Pollock did brilliantly to strip possession from Jenkins by the 22, and once Tom Pearson won a Saints breakdown penalty at the other end, they had a clear opportunity to add three points. Tommy Freeman scored the opener in the second minute of the final…
2026-06-20 17:30:00
