Northampton come from behind to beat Exeter and seal Prem Rugby title
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- Northampton Saints beat Exeter Chiefs 26-17 at Twickenham to win the 2026 Prem Rugby title, their third Prem crown after 2014 and 2024
- George Hendy scored two tries in three minutes (65th and 68th) to turn a three-point deficit into a match-winning lead, finishing in the corner and then racing onto a Fin Smith grubber kick
- Tommy Freeman and Fin Smith scored Northampton's other tries, with Freeman opening the scoring inside two minutes after an Immanuel Feyi-Waboso/Olly Woodburn collision gifted possession
- Exeter fought back from 14-5 down to lead through Cameron Ridl, Josh Iosefa-Scott, and Dafydd Jenkins tries, but their lineout malfunctioned throughout the final and they missed multiple try-scoring chances
- Both Josh Kemeny and Exeter captain Jenkins were sin-binned — both decisions described as 'harsh-looking' — with Northampton scoring twice during Exeter's numerical disadvantage to turn the game
- Exeter had stunned defending champions Bath in the semifinals, coming from 16 points down, but could not repeat the comeback in the final
- Henry Pollock, playing for his boyhood club, starred and told TNT: 'Pressure is a privilege'
Why it matters: Northampton claim their third Prem Rugby title in twelve years (2014, 2024, 2026), with Saints sealing the crown from behind after trailing by three points. Exeter's stunning semifinal comeback against defending champions Bath proved unrepeatable, and a back-to-back sin-binning — both yellows called 'harsh-looking' in the source — handed Hendy the window to decide the final.
