Ahead of Saturday’s Northampton Saints vs Exeter Chiefs Prem Rugby final at Twickenham, Sky Sports looks back at the greatest witnessed so far…Since 2003, the Premiership has decided its champions via a dramatic playoff and final structure, moving away from the standard league format.
On Saturday, Northampton seek to regain the title having won it in 2024 – which was their first final appearance in a decade (more on 2014 below).
Dark horses Exeter – who came from 16 points behind to win at defending champions Bath in the semis – are looking for their first title since 2020, and have made the final a year on from finishing ninth in a 10-team league.Ahead of kick-off, take a trip down memory lane…
Exeter Chiefs 38-40 Harlequins – 2021: Late Lynagh magicFive years ago, two late Louis Lynagh tries saw Harlequins secure their first Premiership title for nine years, courtesy of a stunning win over defending champions Exeter at a sun-kissed Twickenham.
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Harlequins clinched Premiership title glory for the first time since 2012 after a stunning win over Exeter in 2021
Played out in a fervent atmosphere of 10,000 returning supporters after the Covid-19 pandemic, a penalty try and further efforts from Wilco Louw, Alex Dombrandt and Andre Esterhuizen had put Quins 12 points ahead early into the second half, but Exeter roared back to lead 31-26.
That was until Lynagh skipped out of the tackle of Tom O’Flaherty to sprint over with eight minutes left, and Marcus Smith flawlessly converted from out wide. Lynagh then repeated the trick with four minutes remaining to confirm an incredible result for Quins, despite a late Stuart Hogg effort for the Chiefs.Exeter scored tries through Jonny Gray, Alec Hepburn, Sam Simmonds and Ollie Devoto, while skipper Joe Simmonds landed a penalty too, but on the occasion of their sixth Premiership final in a row, they lost for a fourth time.
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Quins wing Louis Lynagh scored two late tries to secure the victory
Harlequins, who were making their first final appearance since they last won the Premiership in 2012, finished fourth in the 2020/21 league standings – 11 points behind Exeter – and fell 28-0 behind in their semi-final away against Bristol before winning 43-36 a week previous.Their success in one of the greatest Premiership finals of all time,…
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2026-06-17 21:28:00
