Northampton Saints secured their second Gallagher Prem title in three seasons with an assured victory over Exeter Chiefs.
Join RUCK’s Instagram broadcast channel and get the latest rugby news straight to your phone.
While the final had been billed as an entertaining showdown, it ultimately proved to be a far tighter and more cautious contest than many had expected.
The occasion appeared to affect both teams. Saints never quite reached the attacking heights that have defined much of their campaign, while Exeter’s usually reliable set-piece struggled to function under the pressure of the occasion.
With that in mind, here are five players whose performances fell short of expectations in the PREM Rugby final.
1 Alex Mitchell
Thrown into the action after just 11 minutes following Archie McParland’s injury, Mitchell was making his own return from a spell on the sidelines but looked short of sharpness throughout.
His toughest moment came when he spilled a gilt-edged scoring chance just as he was preparing to ground the ball for what seemed a certain try.
Beyond that costly error, Mitchell struggled to impose himself on the game. His tactical kicking lacked precision and he made little impact across nearly 70 minutes on the field.
Comparisons with McParland were unavoidable, particularly as the young scrum-half made a greater impression in his brief cameo than Mitchell managed over the rest of the contest.
McParland’s early intervention helped spark the attack that led to Tommy Freeman’s try, further strengthening his case in the Saints pecking order and potentially England’s as well.
