Northampton Saints claimed their first Premiership title since 2014 as they held off a fierce fightback from 14-man Bath to edge to a rollercoaster 25-21 victory at Twickenham.
Saints scrum-half Alex Mitchell scored the winning try with seven minutes left after Bath had come from behind to lead despite the dismissal of prop Beno Obano 21 minutes in.
Tommy Freeman and Ollie Sleightholme put Saints in front but Thomas du Toit and Will Muir brought Bath level before Finn Russell’s penalty put the 14 men ahead.
However, Northampton’s numerical advantage eventually paid off as they turned the table in their favour when it mattered and held on to be crowned champions for the first time in a decade, having finished top of the regular season’s league table.
Northampton have set the bar in the English Premiership this season and despite this display not being as vintage a performance as their fans might have enjoyed in previous months, Saints still produced the magic they needed when it counted.