In a heart-stopping climax, England fly-half Fin Smith scored a last-minute try, securing a thrilling 35-28 victory for Northampton Saints over Exeter Chiefs at Sandy Park. The match seemed destined for a draw after replacement winger Paul Brown-Bampoe's charge-down try in the 78th minute, converted by Henry Slade.
However, Smith's clever dummy allowed him to sail over the line, breaking the Chiefs' hearts and cementing the Saints' position as Premiership leaders. Northampton's director of rugby, Paul Dowson, praised his team's perseverance, saying, "We stuck at it again in what was another proper game...
We've got a lot of trust in our attacking system, and we have that intent to go and try and score." The Saints' victory came after a dream start for Exeter, with England flyer Immanuel Feyi-Waboso scoring a try just 82 seconds into the game. The hosts doubled their lead five minutes later, but Northampton bounced back with tries from Alex Mitchell and Ollie Sleightholme, leaving the teams locked at 14-14 at halftime. A cagey second half ensued, with the Chiefs regaining the lead before Smith's dramatic winner.
Elsewhere, Santi Carreras led Bath to a convincing 48-15 victory over Harlequins, while Leicester thrashed Newcastle 62-3, with Gabriel Hamer-Webb scoring five tries.