Premiership Rugby's match centre records Northampton Saints beating Exeter Chiefs 26-17 at Allianz Stadium on 20 June, after leading 14-10 at half-time. The official match report said two George Hendy tries in three minutes helped Saints come from behind. BBC Sport and the Guardian also reported Northampton as Premiership champions after a final in which Exeter had moved ahead after the hour mark.
Table: Premiership final scoring summary
| Team | Half-time | Full-time | Try scorers named in reports |
|---|---|---|---|
| Northampton Saints | 14 | 26 | Tommy Freeman, Fin Smith, George Hendy, George Hendy |
| Exeter Chiefs | 10 | 17 | Campbell Ridl, Joshua Iosefa-Scott, Dafydd Jenkins |
Source: Premiership Rugby match centre and match report, 2026.
The match turned on the final quarter. Exeter's work before then deserves the weight the scoreline gives it: the Chiefs were close enough to lead 17-14 after 60 minutes, according to match reports, and had forced Northampton into a final shaped by pressure rather than a procession.
Hendy changed that. Premiership Rugby described his double as the decisive late burst, while Sky Sports reported that Northampton came from behind to win the title and that Freeman, Smith and Hendy scored Saints' tries. The Guardian reported Exeter's tries came through Ridl, Iosefa-Scott and Jenkins.
For Northampton, the result confirms rather than rescues the campaign. A final win after topping the season's pace is different from a cup upset: it says the strongest side across the year could still solve the match when the scoreboard briefly turned against them. That is why the late swing matters more than the margin.
For Exeter, the final is not reducible to collapse. They led deep enough into the second half to make Northampton chase the match, and their scoring spread across three forwards showed how much of the contest was won through close-range pressure. The cost was that they could not close the short window when Northampton's finishing arrived.