Northampton Saints player ratings vs Exeter Chiefs | Gallagher PREM final 2025/26

Northampton Saints player ratings: Northampton Saints won their second Gallagher PREM title in three years on Saturday, defeating Exeter Chiefs 26-17 in the final at Twickenham’s Allianz Stadium.

It seemed at times like Saints were doing all they could to lose the match, with a baffling number of handling errors depriving them of a handful of tries.

They had enough to get over the line eventually, however, pulling away in the final quarter, but it wasn’t always pretty. Here’s how the players rated:

15 George Furbank – 8
Basically missed an open goal in his final Saints outing, dropping a pass from George Hendy just metres from the line – although the pass could have been more sympathetic. Otherwise, the calming presence at the back that Northampton needed, often returning deep kicks with interest. Joined the line intelligently and was dangerous whenever Exeter kicked loosely.

14 Tommy Freeman – 8.5
Another final, another statement performance, with a dream start as he benefited from a calamitous mix-up by the Chiefs back three to score the easiest of the many tries he’s scored this season. Effectively gifted the Chiefs their responding try, though he would not have seen them running it in from 50 metres out as he chucked the ball back in field after taking a cross kick. Did well to chase down Stephen Varney to prevent another score soon after, as the Saints were on the ropes. Outstanding in the air, carried relentlessly and even produced a delectable flick on when joining the line. His work rate never dipped and he looked a class above throughout, coming up with the break which resulted in Saints’ third try.

Fixture

Gallagher Premiership

Northampton

26 - 17

Full-time

Exeter Chiefs

All Stats and Data

13 Tom Litchfield – 6
After his hat-trick heroics last week, he struggled to get into the game initially and perhaps forced things at times, resulting in handling errors. There was no lack in effort, though, and he was defensively assured during his hour on the field. A fumbled offload, which would have resulted in a try, was maybe emblematic of how things didn’t quite go his way this week.

12 Rory Hutchinson – 6
The glue that holds the Saints backline together. His subtle touches often go unnoticed but his passing and decision-making repeatedly caused problems. He did, however, have one too many handling errors in there, though, one when Saints had a great chance to extend their lead after halftime.

11 George Hendy – 9
Provided the spark that stretched Exeter’s defence, and looked to have put Furbank in for Northampton’s second try, only for his full-back to drop what was a fairly aggressive pass. Beat defenders, looked threatening in broken field and scored the decisive try in the second half which gave Saints the lead again, scoring in the corner with only inches of space to work with. Scored his second minutes later, chasing after a Smith grubber to put his side truly in the driving seat. Another big-game contribution from the young wing.

10 Fin Smith – 8.5
A fly-half performance befitting a PREM final. We seldom saw Saints’ backline in full flow, but he darted over for Saints’ second try of the match and controlled territory superbly, mixing his kicking game intelligently and constantly challenging Exeter’s defensive line, none more so than his little grubber for Hendy to score the try that gave Saints a nine-point lead – something he had been threatening to do all match. A genuine contender for man of the match.

9 Archie McParland – N/A
Forced the Chiefs howler early on with his probing kick, but didn’t last much longer, as he injured himself chasing down Campbell Ridl. A huge blow for Saints and England, but with Mitchell on the bench it meant there was still plenty of class.

1 Emmanuel Iyogun – 7
A powerful afternoon in both the scrum and loose, pulling off a monster scrum after the first-half drinks break to win a penalty. Carried hard, made his tackles and played his part in a set-piece battle, but was quickly roped off, along with the entire front-row when Exeter’s fresh props one a scrum at the first time of asking.

2 Curtis Langdon – 7
Perfect at the lineout and hugely industrious around the field, putting in a punchy carry to just disorganise the Chiefs’ defence enough to let Smith dart over for the champions’ second try. Busy defensively and provided the kind of dependable display coaches love in finals.

3 Elliot Millar-Mills – 6
Scrummaged solidly and never took a backwards step physically, save for one try after the break. Not spectacular, but exactly what Northampton required. To avoid the fate Bath suffered last week against a fresh Chiefs propping duo, he was taken off with 30 minutes remaining.

4 Alex Coles – 9
Sporting a less hirsute figure, he was one of Saints’ emotional leaders and he played like it, pushing Henry Pollock all the way for the man of the match accolade. Put Joseph Dweba under huge pressure at the lineout, with a decent return. Physical in defence, energetic in attack and constantly visible around the breakdown and in defence, putting in the most tackles for his side, 15. His strong carry through the heart of the Chiefs’ defence gave the field position for Saints to score their second try, and he did everything he could to put Alex Mitchell in for a try in the second half, only for the scrum-half to knock on when grounding. Made a huge claim to start for England in the second-row against South Africa in two weeks.

5 Ed Prowse – 7
Made 10 tackles during his 55 minutes on the field, and did the job that was needed to lay the groundwork for impact players like JJ van der Mescht to come on.

6 Josh Kemeny – 7
Started the game with a lineout steal at the front of the lineout, and that was a theme throughout as he sprung up time and time again. Hit hard in defence, carried aggressively and disrupted Exeter’s ball whenever the opportunity presented itself, but his yellow card in the second half for a high tackle was a momentum shift, with the Chiefs taking the lead very soon after. It is no coincidence that order was restored once he returned.

7 Tom Pearson – 8
A display that sent a reminder to Steve Borthwick that he is still in the Test picture. That elite combination of quality and quantity – strong carries from the off, a penalty won over the ball deep in Chiefs’ half and even dumped Greg Fisilau on his backside at one point. A menace at the breakdown and incredibly effective in the tackle. 11 carries with five defenders beaten in just under an hour on the field.

8 Henry Pollock – 9
Twickenham’s biggest stage once again belonged to Pollock. Carried relentlessly, won collisions and produced the kind of game-breaking moments that only elite players seem capable of delivering. A match-leading 16 carries was good, but the eight defenders beaten to go with it is match-defining. Clattered into Campbell Ridl late on in a collision that echoed through the stadium. The penalty he won in the final five minutes to end Exeter’s last throw of the dice summed up his dominance.

Replacements – 8
Northampton’s bench made a significant contribution to closing the game out. Mitchell was thrown into action very early on in his comeback from a hamstring injury, but that didn’t seem to phase him. Fraser Dingwall brought calmness and defensive organisation during the closing stages, while Callum Chick made some great yardage. Up front, JJ van der Mescht made an immediate impact with a break. It was the type of collective bench performance that often decides finals.