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The Comeback of Alex Mitchell England scrum-half Alex Mitchell is poised for a surprise return to Northampton's matchday squad for this weekend's Prem final against Exeter. A hamstring injury had threatened to rule Mitchell out of the rest of the domestic season, but the Saints are now hopeful he will be available for Saturday's finale at Allianz Stadium. Mitchell's Injury and Recovery Mitchell tore a hamstring during an England training camp in Bagshot last month. At the time, his club director of rugby, Phil Dowson, expressed frustration about Mitchell's injury and suggested he would struggle to feature again this season. However, Mitchell has made a swift recovery and is now in contention to face Exeter. Impact on Northampton and England A fit Mitchell would be positive news for both club and country. England head coach Steve Borthwick will also be relieved as he prepares to finalize his squad next Monday for this summer's Nations Championship fixtures. Intense national training camps in the closing weeks of a long season are not hugely popular with clubs still in contention for trophies. Northampton's Preparations Northampton's captain, George Furbank, has urged his players not to go into their shells as they go in search of Saints' second Prem crown in three seasons. "We want to go out and just attack this game," said Furbank. "Often in finals you can start to play within yourselves and play a bit safe. I don't think we're a good team when we do that. So for us it's about going and expressing ourselves and performing the way that we want to perform."

The Unpredictability of Premiership Finals Prem finals do not always unfold as anticipated. Six of the last seven editions have been settled by six points or fewer and favourites are not guaranteed to have it their own way. Exeter's Strong Form Exeter Chiefs have been in impressive form, beating Leicester, Saracens, and Bath in recent weeks. They are in no mood to go out with an unambitious whimper, as their South African hooker Joseph Dweba posted on social media: 'Be ready to fail because only then are you ready to succeed.' The Impact of Key Players The news that Manny Feyi-Waboso is fit to start for Exeter is a significant boost. Facial surgery just over two weeks ago had appeared to have ruled the England wing out of contention, but suddenly he is back out there. Exeter's captain Dafydd Jenkins praised Feyi-Waboso, saying: 'He's a bit of a freak. It's quite annoying how easy it looks for him. The development I've seen in him since he's been here has been freakish. He's a class act and a great person.' The Challenge for Northampton Northampton, this season's free-wheeling frontrunners, should be wary of humming too many celebratory Olivia Dean tunes in advance. Twice they have faced Exeter in the league and twice there have been narrow margins between the teams. The Prediction The Premiership final between Exeter Chiefs and Northampton Saints promises to be an exciting match. Exeter's strong form, key players, and experience make them a force to be reckoned with. Northampton's director of rugby Phil Dowson is an admirer of his counterpart Rob Baxter, and the tactical battle between the two teams will be intense.

The Unlikely Journey to the Final It is not every day that two teams who finished second and third bottom of the Prem table only 12 months ago make it to a grand final. Regardless of this Saturday’s outcome, Northampton and Exeter have shown every club in the league what is doable, with one big caveat. Squad depth and recruitment matter but not as much as the collective desire to stay positive no matter what. Exeter's Sensational Comeback Exeter needed every ounce of grit and resilience in Bath on Saturday as they somehow held out for 41 phases to clinch a sensational 27-26 victory, having trailed 26-10 at half-time. Northampton, similarly, never lost the courage of their convictions against Leicester on Friday night, transcending the big occasion to put seven tries past excellent opposition in another thrilling contest. The Key to Success What a contrast to the fall of the deposed champions Bath, who will rue their second-half decision-making at the Rec for a long time. A reliance on forward power is all well and good until circumstances demand a switch to other forms of smart energy. Without the injured Finn Russell to supply a crucial extra tactical dimension, Bath’s conservative pick-and-go game eventually blew up in their faces. The Impact of Tactical Bravery It further underscored the importance in the modern game of shifting the point of attack and having a fly-half prepared to take the initiative at key stages. While Santiago Carreras is a talented player he had started only three games at 10 for Bath since arriving last summer. When the clutch moment arrived and either a close-range drop-goal or a wide pass were head-clutchingly obvious, no one had the wit to make the call. The Prediction Denying Pollock and co this weekend is not going to be easy but Exeter have been cheerfully upending predictions for a while. Latterly they have seen off Bath twice plus a highly motivated Saracens and Leicester, en route to a first Prem final appearance since 2021.