• Clinical Chiefs set up Twickenham date with Saracens
Northampton ended years of decay with a reinvigorating rebranding, but power remains the most precious commodity in the physical world of the Premiership. The Saints gave their hosts a jolt and should have led at half-time, but they were ruthlessly ground down and for the second season in a row the final will be contested by Saracens and Exeter after both again recorded large victories in the play-offs.
Exeter beat Newcastle by 31 points last season, a figure Northampton reduced by one, while Saracens’ 25-point margin over Gloucester was one more than they had achieved against Wasps 12 months before. Well might Northampton’s director of rugby, Chris Boyd, at the end of his first season in the Premiership, reflect on the gap that has grown between the top two and the rest, one that appears to be widening rather than narrowing.
Written by Paul Rees at Sandy Park
This news first appeared on https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2019/may/25/exeter-northampton-premiership-play-off-semi-final-report under the title “Exeter into final after Tom O’Flaherty’s solo try lights up win over Northampton”. Bolchha Nepal is not responsible or affiliated towards the opinion expressed in this news article.
