Northampton Saints came from behind to beat Exeter Chiefs 26–17 in the Gallagher PREM Final at Twickenham and took their third English title.
Northampton Saints and Exeter Chiefs contested the English club title at Twickenham’s Allianz Stadium on Saturday 20 June 2026, the first final under the league’s new PREM name.
The competition the final decides dates from 1987, when English clubs first organised themselves into a national league. For its first decade the champion was simply whoever finished top. The play-off final came later, and it turned a nine-month season into one afternoon at Twickenham, the last fixture of the English club year. The semi-finals are played at the higher-placed clubs’ own grounds a fortnight earlier, so the finalists are known only two weeks ahead.
Exeter reached this final by coming from 16 points down to knock out the defending champions, Bath, in their semi-final. Northampton had been champions of England in 2014 and 2024 and came to Twickenham seeking a third title under Phil Dowson.
Before a crowd of 81,126, Tommy Freeman scored inside two minutes after two Exeter backs collided near their own line, and Fin Smith added a second try for a 14–5 lead. Exeter hit back through Josh Iosefa-Scott and Dafydd Jenkins to lead by three. Once Jenkins had joined Northampton’s Josh Kemeny in the sin-bin for a high tackle, George Hendy scored twice in three minutes, and Northampton won 26–17 for their second title in three seasons.