Saracens win Premiership after beating Exeter in thrilling final – as it happened

Paul Rees is at Twickenham for the Guardian and sent this take on a massively entertaining rugby at the final whistle.

Saracens receive the cup. For the fifth time in eight seasons, Saracens collect the Gallagher Premiership cup to add to their European Champions Cup. Brad Barritt takes possession of the trophy and raises it to the sky with the assistance of Owen Farrell.

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Exeter Chiefs receive their runners-up medals: They’ve made a massive contribution to an astonishingly good final, but there had to be a loser and they’ve lost yet again against what is arguably the best club team in English rugby history.

Jack Yeandle speaks: “I’m gonna say it’s a little bit more painful than last year because for a lot of that game we were in charge and really had our tails up,” he tells BT Sport. Asked if he thought the Chiefs had the game won after an hour, when they went 11 points in front, he replies: “I’ll be honest, yes, especially with the boys we had on the bench.”

Clearly emotional, he struggles to hold back the tears. “We just need to keep up our levels of belief and keep the hunger,” he says. “I’m immensely proud of the boys and everything we’ve done, but we’ve just slipped up at the final hurdle today.”

Maro Itoje speaks: “It’s hard to put into words,” he tells BT Sport. “We’ve been working towards this all year so big credit to all the players and all the staff. Fair play to Exeter they’re a top, top side. They’re by far and away the second best team in this competition. We have some fantastic leaders in this team. That game was all about character. We didn’t play well for large parts of that game, but luckily we had time to rescue it.”

Peep! Peep! Peeeeeeeep! It’s all over and Saracens have somehow found a way to win this Premiership final. They looked beaten when Henry Slade put the Chiefs nine points ahead just before the hour, but a rousing pep-talk from Owen Farrell prompted them to score 21 points without reply in 16 minutes. It was an epic game of rugby, so hats off to Exeter, who more than played their part.

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From a line-out, Sam Hill reacts quickest and crashes over the line for a Chiefs try that is converted. It’s too little too late, however, as the conversion is the last kick of the game.

79 min: Exeter Chiefs 27-37 Saracens Apologies for the minor confusion in that previous entry. The gap is 10 points with less than two minutes remaining and Exeter are set to lose yet another final to a team who looked beaten around the hour mark. In the BT Sport commentary box, Austin Healy awards Maro Itoje his man of the match award. He’s played well, but given away a lot of penalties and spent 10 minutes in the sin bin.

77 min: From the line-out, Saracens drive for the Chiefs line and Jamie George goes over to touch the ball down under the posts for his second try of the game. Farrell doesn’t miss this one.

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76 min: Exeter Chiefs 27-30 Saracens From the kick-off, Maro Itoje does brilliantly to win the ball back from the Chiefs, before a wonderful Farrell kick to the corner pins Exeter back on their own line.

74 min: Exeter Chiefs 27-30 Saracens Saracens win a penalty as Chiefs collapse a scrum about 30 metres from goal. Owen Farrell steps up for a kick you’d put your house on him making in his sleep and ... pulls the ball wide of the left upright. Crikey!

71 min: Exeter Chiefs 27-30 Saracens Another box-kick from Nic White on the edge of the Exeter 22. A promising move up the field breaks down when No8 Matt Kvesic takes his eye off an incoming pass and drops the ball.

70 min: Exeter Chiefs 27-30 Saracens Chiefs full-back Jack Nowell hobbles off under his own steam, but we won’t be seeing him again. He’s had a good game and is replaced by Gareth Steenson, who comes in at No10. Henry Slade moves to full-back and Joe Simmonds moves into the centre, presumably.

70 min: Exeter Chiefs 27-30 Saracens It’s worth noting that when Saracens went 27-16 ahead, Owen Farrell gave his Saracens team-mates an absolute rocket as he screamed and shouted at them in a huddle under the posts. Their response has been nothing if not emphatic. There’s a break in play as Jack Nowell receives treatment for what looks like a nasty leg injury. He shipped a tackle while in possession and his leg twisted badly as he went to ground.

67 min: Richard Wigglesworth finds a hole in the Chiefs defence and burst forward from the halfway line. He offloads to Alex Hale and from the subsequent breakdown, Hale whips the ball to his left and suddenly Saracens have a massive overlap. The ball goes through assorted pairs of hands with lightning speed, finding its way to Alex Lozowski, who cuts inside his man and goes over in the corner. Andy Farrell makes no mistake with the conversion.

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65 min: Exeter Chiefs 27-23 Saracens Saracens have the ball, but kick it high to test Joe Simmonds again. He catches once again, but Saracens turn over possession.

63 min: Exeter Chiefs 27-23 Saracens Nic White leaves the ball hanging with a high kick from halfway. Owen Farrell spots some space in behind Simmonds but is unable to find touch as the territorial battle continues.

A fantastic cross-field kick from Owen Farrell catches out Joe Simmonds, who is backpedalling and misjudges the flight of the ball. Liam Williams leaps to catch the ball and goes over in the corner, with Simmonds powerless to stop him. Owen Farrell adds the precious extras.

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Exeter make their way from one side of the pitch to the other with a lovely ball over the top and a brilliant offload from Sam Skinner to Henry Slade enables the Chiefs centre to go over in the corner, the ball in the hand of one outstretched arm. That’s a wonderful try, but Saracens attempts to defend it were very casual. Joe Simmonds misses with his conversion attempt.

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57 min: Exeter 25-16 Saracens Mario Itoje is not having one of his better games and concedes another penalty for lying on the ball. Chiefs kick for touch, win the subsequent line-out and make ground towards the Saracens 22.

55 min: Exeter Chiefs 22-16 Saracens There’s a break in play as Saracens wing-forward Jackson Wray receives medical attention. He’s fit to continue and it’s a scrum to Sarries on the halfway line.

53 min: Exeter Chiefs 22-16 Saracens Alex Goode has a kick blocked and one of his team-mates boots the ball over the Saracens try-line. Alex Lowzowski wins the foot-race to get the touchdown. It was close and he was quite casual, but the TMO confirms it is no try.

50 min: Exeter Chiefs 22-16 Saracens Nic White clears the danger for Exeter again, but only as far as their own 22. He appears to injure his calf while kicking and requires treatment. He’s going to soldier on, but it looks like a muscle injury that he’ll be unable to run off. In the meantime, Mick Rhodes comes on for Sarries, while Sam Skinner replaces Jonny Hill in the Exeter ranks.

48 min: Exeter Chiefs 22-16 Saracens Saracens are in possession on the Chiefs’ 22. Nic White repels them with a bruising tackle. Farrell plays the ball out wide to Tompkins, but his offload to Williams goes into touch with the winger under pressure from Chiefs full-back Jack Nowell.

47 min: Exeter Chiefs 22-16 Saracens Luke Cowan-Dickie, Alec Hepburn and Tomas Francis come on for the chiefs, as Rob Baxter rings the changes.

45 min: Exeter Chiefs 22-16 Saracens More sloppy play from a tired and error-prone looking Saracens side, as Vincent Koch passes the ball straight to somebody in a black shirt. With his team under pressure pinned back on their line, scrum-half Nic White helps Exeter clear their lines with a fine kick for touch.

43 min: Exeter Chiefs 22-16 Saracens Another error from Saracens, with Itoje grappling for the ball in a ruck while lying on the ground. Exeter kick for the corner, but don’t quite make it. George Kruis steals possession back for Saracens at the ensuing line-out. They’ve dodged a bullet, there.

42 min: Exeter Chiefs 22-16 Saracens Saracens get the put-in at the restart as they were in possession of the ball when the referee stopped play. Richard Wigglesworth picks the ball out of the scrum and sets off on a darting run, only to drop the ball. Exeter have possession.

41 min: Exeter Chiefs 22-16 Saracens Saracens scrum-half Ben Spencer goes down injured after getting clattered by the hip of his team-mate Liam Williams, while the pair went for the same high ball. He’s taken a bang on the head there and has to go off for a HIA and the mandatory 10 minutes R&R that come with it. Richard Wigglesworth replaces him.

Saracens kick off, with Nick Tompkins on for Brad Barritt, who was a doubt for this match with a hamstring injury, but managed to play the first half. The Chiefs are unchanged.

A frenetic first half draws to a close and Exeter Chiefs go in for the break with the advantage. It’s been a fantastically entertaining and eventful game of rugby so far, with both sides roaring out of the traps from the gun.

40+1 min: Exeter win a penalty under the posts as Saracens collapse the scrum. Uncharacteristically, because the clock is in the red zone they kick and take the three points. It’s half time.

40 min: Exeter Chiefs 19-16 Saracens Alex Goode prevents Dave Ewars from going over, going down under the Exeter wing-forward as he goes over so he can’t ground the ball. Exeter win a five-metre scrum as the first half clock ticks into the red zone.

38 min: Exeter Chiefs 19-16 Saracens Chiefs attack on the edge of the Saracens 22, with Vunipola and Skelton putting in big tackles to repel them. Ollie Devoto makes five metres with a powerful surge as Exeter go in search of their fourth try. They’re a metre from the line, burrowing busily and Jack Nowell looks to have gone over, but is caught just short.