'Magic, controversy, drama' - Prem Rugby's greatest finals revisited
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- Northampton Saints face Exeter Chiefs in Saturday's Premiership final at Twickenham (3pm), with Saints seeking to regain the title they last won in 2024 and Exeter chasing their first since 2020.
- Exeter Chiefs reached the 2026 final by overturning a 16-point deficit against defending champions Bath in the semis, a year on from finishing ninth in the 10-team league.
- Louis Lynagh scored two late tries in the 2021 final to give Harlequins a 40-38 win over Exeter, with 10,000 returning supporters watching post-COVID and Quins claiming their first title in nine years.
- Alex Waller's controversial 100th-minute try in the 2014 final gave Northampton a 24-20 extra-time win over Saracens, capping a week in which Saints also lifted the European Challenge Cup.
- Saracens claimed their fourth title in five seasons in 2019, beating Exeter 37-34 in a 10-try final that featured Nic White's try after 27 seconds — the fastest in Premiership final history.
- Gareth Steenson's penalty two minutes from the end of extra time sealed Exeter's 23-20 win over Wasps in 2017, delivering the Chiefs their first title in 146 years of existence.
- Harlequins won their first Premiership crown in 2012, beating Leicester 30-23 with Tom Williams — the player at the centre of the 'Bloodgate' scandal three years earlier — among the try-scorers.
Why it matters: Exeter are chasing their first title since 2020, having clawed back from 16 points down against Bath in the semis after finishing ninth last season. For Northampton, this is a second final in three years after a decade-long absence, and both clubs have lifted the Premiership trophy within the past six seasons — making the 2026 final a collision of two genuine modern-era powers.
