Paul Rees's match report from Twickenham
Here you go. We’ll wrap things up now. Thanks for your company.
Not sure I've seen many better defensive performances in an #Avivapremfinal than Saracens' collective display today. Colossal effort, worthy champs. #EXESAR
— robert kitson (@robkitson) May 26, 2018
And here’s Don Armand: “We came out all guns blazing but those two quick tries really took the wind out of our sails. This is the prize that everyone wants, finishing top doesn’t mean anything when it comes to these games.”
And here’s Brad Barritt: “The beauty of this group is that we don’t make it about the championships, we make it about the process. I’ve no doubt next season the boys will come back as hungry as they have been in the last five.
“It’s all about collective leadership. We all feed off each other and inspire each other.”
Here’s Mako Vunipola: “That was a tough shift. It’s been a great journey.”
Sarries thoroughly deserved that. They were comfortably the better side in all departments. They get their hands on the trophy for the third time in four years.
Full-time: Exeter 10-27 Saracens
The ball is hoofed out of play and Saracens win their fourth Premiership title.
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80 min: Spencer misses the kick but it matters not.
Try! Exeter 10-27 Saracens (Earle)
79 min: And that’s that. Brits feeds Goode – who has been exceptional as well today – and he finds the replacement Nathan Earle all on his own out wide. He dives over the line to spark scenes of celebration in the Saracens camp.
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77 min: Vunipola has indeed been named man of the match, and the bulk of the Twickenham crowd seem to agree. Sarries have a scrum close to the Exeter line but the teams are going through the motions to some extent now.
76 min: The superb Mako Vunipola hobbles off for a well-earned rest. Could be a contender for man-of-the-match, along with Itoje.
74 min: Saracens calmly go through the phases and play a bit of risk-free rugby to run down the clock. They’re still making yards though.
72 min: Exeter require two tries then, and Saracens are back to full strength with Brits unleashed from the sin-bin.
Penalty! Exeter 10-22 Saracens (Spencer)
71 min: Rhodes goes for the line but is just short. Sarries have a penalty though and they take the points in front off the posts.
70 min: An exchange of kicks sees Sarries on the attack and threatening the line.
69 min: Barritt, somehow, is fit to continue.
68 min: Rhodes is tackled into touch and Exeter have a lineout inside their own half. There’s a stoppage, though, as Saracens captain Brad Barritt has an injury. He looks in a fair bit of pain.
68 min: A big loss for Sarries – Farrell, who looks to have tweaked a muscle in his leg, is replaced by Marcelo Bosch.
67 min: Mako Vunipola and Itoje are again dominant at the breakdown and force a penalty. The Exeter momentum comes to a juddering halt.
66 min: So Exeter are back inside the Sarries 22 again. They just about claim the lineout and build from there.
65 min: Whitten and Turner burst through down the right and all of a sudden Exeter have their tails up. Farrell gives away a penalty on halfway.
Conversion! Exeter 10-19 Saracens (Steenson)
The try-scorer sends a tricky swirling kick between the posts. Nine points the difference.
Try! Exeter 8-19 Saracens (Steenson)
63 min: From the scrum, Exeter send the ball to the left and Steenson opts to burst through himself for the score.
62 min: Ewers goes for the line but a Saracens arm is underneath the ball. Wayne Barnes and the TMO concur and Exeter have to settle for a 5m scrum.
61 min: Same again from Exeter. Kick for the corner, a lineout, a rolling maul … and this time the Chiefs go through a few more phases, spreading the ball left to right. Sam Simmonds slips a tackle and Exter are inches from the line …
60 min: A kick for the corner, a lineout, a rolling maul … and Schalk Brits, of all people, is shown the yellow card for a infraction as Exter threatened the line.
59 min: Exeter coach Rob Baxter is being interviewed live on BT Sport. “What will be, will be,” he says rather uninspiringly.
58 min: Exeter have a penalty advantage after Lozowski’s high tackle. Woodburn and Turner combine down the left and Exeter have the ball in the Saracens 22 for just about the first time. The attack breaks down and we go back for the penalty.
57 min: The ball breaks loose and Exeter have possession once more. Again Saracens stand firm as the phases rack up.
56 min: And predictably enough, Itoje forces a penalty at the breakdown. Farrell kicks back up to halfway.
55 min: Exeter kick a penalty to the edge of the Sarries 22 and take the lineout quickly. Nowell makes a few yards but there’s little sense that Saracens are about to crumble.
54 min: Schalk Brits enters the fray to a warm reception from all sides of the ground.
53 min: Wigglesworth sends an up-and-under into the Twickenham sky but Turner does well to gather.
52 min: Saracens put the pressure on at the breakdown and Itoje steals the ball. It’ll be Sarries put-in at the scrum.
51 min: One of those subs, Ben Moon, makes yards out wide but Saracens turn the ball over and kick clear.
50 min: Exeter throw on a glut of replacements up front. They’ll need something special now.
Conversion! Exeter 3-19 Saracens (Farrell)
49 min: No mistake this time from Farrell. This is beginning to look bleak for the Chiefs.
Try! Exeter 3-17 Saracens (Wyles)
48 min: Too easy. A couple of phases from the forwards then Farrell spreads wide and Wylie is again in plenty of space. He crosses the line for his second try of the match.
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48 min: Barritt and Lozowski make significant yardage before handing things on to the forwards …
47 min: Exeter gather the lineout this time and White clears but Sarries are quickly cutting through again.
46 min: A loose pass ends the attack but Farrell gets back to recover a kick as Exeter threaten to break. The England player then kicks beautifully for touch deep in the Exeter 22.
45 min: Farrell kicks a penalty awarded after that lineout to halfway.
44 min: And eventually Nowell fumbles and Sarries have a lineout. That bodes ill for the Chiefs – so much ball but so little progress.
43 min: 22 phases and counting but still the Saracens line stays firm and Exeter are plugging away near halfway.
42 min: Sam Hill makes a few more yards out wide but they’re struggling to make significant inroads.
41 min: Ewers, who was to the fore when Exeter were on top early on, batters his way forward a couple of yards as the Chiefs look to go through the phases just as they did at the start of the first half.
Peep! Off we go again. No changes at half-time – Armand is back on for Exeter.
The players are back out. The second half is imminent. Can Exeter turn this around?
Half-time: Exeter 3-12 Saracens
And with that the teams trot off for a half-time orange. After a bright start from the Chiefs, it’s been Saracens’ half.
40+1 min: Exeter concede a penalty from the scrum and as the clock ticks into the red, Farrell pulls his kick wide in the swirling conditions.
40 min: Exeter go through a few confident phases but Itoje rips the ball away and Wyles is a couple of inches away from kicking past Turner and running in for his second try. The Exeter full-back, though, does just enough to stop the ball with his feet. Still, a subsequent knock-on gives Sarries a scrum.
39 min: Some good news for Exeter: Armand has passed his HIA and will be able to return, presumably after half-time.
38 min: It’s one-way traffic at the moment. Exeter could do with the half-time whistle and a chance to regroup.
37 min: A grubber kick from Farrell almost has Wyles in for his second but Nowell does superbly to scurry back and get their before the Saracens winger.
36 min: Almost inevitably Saracens steal the lineout and threaten the Exeter line once more.
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35 min: Exeter have two clearing kicks charged down – the first by Farrell, the next by Itoje. They have a lineout on their own line but the pressure is most definitely on the Chiefs as half-time approaches.
34 min: Sarries go through the phases but Exeter stay strong and eventually the recovered Koch knocks on.
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33 min: Sarries are finding oodles of space when they spin it wide but this time they make gains through the middle through Mako Vunipola and Maro Itoje. Up to the edge of the Exeter 22 …
32 min: Armand is heading off for a head injury assessment. Thomas Waldrom comes on in his stead.
31 min: A couple of injuries cause a break in play – Vincent Koch has strained his arm and Exeter captain Don Armand is on the turf after a tackle from Farrell.
29 min: Turner’s rushed clearance falls kindly for Exeter and they get another chance to build from halfway.
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27 min: Farrell finds touch deep in the Exeter half but Exeter steal the lineout and take the chance to clear.
26 min: The scrum collapses and Sarries have a penalty of their own. Exeter’s scrum is under some severe pressure here.
25 min: Cowan-Dickie, though, fails to send the ball in straight and Sarries have a defensive scrum.
24 min: Exeter have a penalty on their 22 and find touch in the middle of the Saracens half.
21 min: Farrell skews a tough kick wide so Saracens’ lead stays at nine points. Worrying signs for Exeter though – Sarries have found it too easy in the past 10 minutes.
Try! Exeter 3-12 Saracens (Wyles)
Superb stuff from Sarries! Goode to Maitland out to Wyles on the left wing and he runs in unchallenged in the corner.
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18 min: Jackson Wray gets in on the ball at an Exeter ruck to earn his team a penalty – that was an important intervention from the back-rower. Sarries were under pressure there.
Conversion! Exeter 3-7 Saracens (Farrell)
16 min: That try was all about Farrell’s kick, looped over the Exeter defence and causing havoc. The Chiefs never recovered their organisation.
Try! Exeter 3-5 Saracens (B Vunipola)
15 min: After a couple of charges at the line, Billy Vunipola finds a gap and goes over from a couple of yards.
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15 min: Sarries get their first chance to go through the phases and a superb Farrell kick has Goode haring after the bouncing ball. Sarries up to the Exeter tryline …
13 min: Another Exeter penalty after some lineout chicanery. Slade looks to find touvh makes a mess of the kick and Goode collects.
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11 min: Goode shows safe hands under another White kick but Sarries kick possession away quickly and Exeter get the chance to build again from deep.
9 min: Simmonds swings this effort – from wide on the left touchline – well wide of the posts.
8 min: Vincent Koch comes into the ruck from the wrong side and Exeter have another penalty, this one much further from the posts though …
7 min: Sam Simmonds makes ground from the kick-off and Exeter are back on the attack once more. Sarries have barely laid a hand on the ball so far.
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Penalty! Exeter 3-0 Saracens (J Simmonds)
6 min: Straight down the middle from Simmonds – Exeter have the lead after an impressive start.
5 min: A lovely step from Sam Hill has Exeter through the Sarries line for the first time and he forces a penalty on the 22.
4 min: Big carry from Ewers gives Exeter a couple of yards and the Chiefs go through the phases – 12 of them in fact, without making an inroads through the Saracens defence.
2 min: Lozowski gets himself on the end of another White up-and-under but fumbles the ball forward. Exeter scrum in the middle of the Sarries’ half.
1 min: Nic White kicks into touch to give Sarries a lineout on halfway.
Peep! Off we go! Owen Farrell kicks things off for Saracens.
Eddie Jones, in a natty blue and white hooped polo shirt, is watching on from the stands. No wonder – there’s a bevvie of England players to watch.
And out come the players … Saracens in white, green and grey, Exeter in all black.
Click-clack, click-clack … the players are in the Twickenham tunnel.
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A form guide? Well, Exeter won both league meetings between the sides this season: 20-18 at Allianz Park in November and 43-20 on home soil in February. The caveat in both those results is that they took place during international windows. This will be the first time Maro Itoje, Owen Farrell, the Vunipolas, Jack Nowell, Henry Slade and Sam Simmonds feature in a tie between these sides this season.
One subplot today – it’s Schalk Brits’s final game as a rugby player before he heads off to Oxford University and then the world of finance. Our very own Gerard Meagher had a chat with the Sarries man:
The lineups
Exeter: Turner; Nowell, Slade, S Hill, Woodburn; J Simmonds, White; Hepburn, Cowan-Dickie, Francis, Lees, J Hill, Ewers, Armand (capt), S Simmonds.
Replacements: Yeandle, Moon, Holmes, Skinner, Waldrom, Townsend, Steenson, Whitten.
Saracens: Goode; Maitland, Lozowski, Barritt (capt), Wyles; Farrell, Wigglesworth; M Vunipola, George, Koch, Itoje, Kruis, Isiekwe, Wray, B Vunipola.
Replacements: Brits, Barrington, Figallo, Skelton, Rhodes, Spencer, Bosch, Earle.
Referee: Wayne Barnes
Preamble
Hello and welcome to live coverage of the climax to the English rugby season – the Premiership final. Exeter, dominant domestically, are looking to become the fourth team to retain the crown. Saracens, their opponents, were the last team to do it (back in 2015 and 2016). The Chiefs finished the regular season at the top of the table. Sarries were right behind. The stage is set for a cracking contest at Twickenham and it all kicks off at 3pm BST.
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