Exeter Chiefs 36 Northampton Saints 42: Tom Vickers' review and player ratings

From anger at 26-0 down, to hope at half-time, to excitement when they took the lead, to nerves when Exeter twice to wrestle back the advantage to, finally, elation at the final whistle - Northampton Saints once again took their supporters on a roller coaster ride.

But what a ride it was.

And what a win it resulted in.

At the end of surely one of the greatest games in Gallagher Premiership history, it was Saints who were singing their victory at Sandy Park.

The table-topping Shoe Army had put the boot into one of their nearest rivals in the league standings.

And they had done it in the most exhilarating fashion possible.

Of course it wasn’t part of their plan to concede four tries in the first 23 minutes, handing Exeter such an early try bonus point.

But as we are seeing week after week, this Saints team is not fazed by a deficit.

Instead, it only spurs them on.

it is almost as though the bigger the hole they find themselves in, the better they become.

This is a Saints side with every quality you could want, mentally and physically.

And they are simply never boring.

They are a joy to watch, a team who those trying to sell the Premiership to new fans should savour.

Exeter, too, are another excellent advert for this league.

They possess some hugely talented young players and they fizz the ball around with a fantastic intensity.

Initially that proved too much for Saints to live with in the formative stages of this match.

Phil Dowson’s men looked set to be the latest victims at Sandy Park, where Exeter had not lost since October 2022, going 23 games unbeaten on home soil.

And at 26-0, it looked like only one outcome was possible, with Saints seemingly set to follow in the unwanted footsteps of the likes of Saracens and Sale Sharks, who were both blown away at Exeter this season.

But this Saints side doesn’t know how to go quietly.

This boisterous bunch battle for each other and for the badge.

And back they came, flying through gaps, using their star-studded bench to the best possible effect.

Alex Mitchell added magic, Tommy Freeman flair and Curtis Langdon confrontation.

Those men and their fellow replacements did exactly what was desired of them as they helped to drive their team to victory.

Exeter, to their immense credit, weren’t too fazed by losing their 26-0 lead as they twice responded to deficits by moving back in front.

But in the end, this was a Saints day.

The away side backed their ability, backed their game plan and backed each other as they battled to score a last-gasp try that won the game.

It was another memorable moment in a season that has so far been saturated with them.

And it was another moment that reminded everyone who loves the Saints just why they love them so much.

How they rated…

GEORGE FURBANK - a superb showing from the skipper, who launched several attacks from deep and produced some clever crossfield kicks to create space. Has now won all 10 of his games as captain… 9

OLLIE SLEIGHTHOLME - CHRON STAR MAN - Ollie Sleightholme scores tries, and he delivered a hat-trick of them here. Absolutely electric on the break and always in the right place at the right time… 9

BURGER ODENDAAL - provided some brute force at times but had to come off early in the second half due to an incident for which Henry Slade could really have been red carded… 6.5

RORY HUTCHINSON - a huge performance capped with the dramatic winning try. His creativity came to the fore but he was also strong in the tackle and won a breakdown penalty on his own line at one point… 9

TOM LITCHFIELD - looked strong and provided a try assist for Sleightholme during a display in which he held his own on the wing once again… 7.5

FIN SMITH - stood tall in defence and kicked his points when they came in another largely assured showing… 7.5

CALLUM BRALEY - endured a shaky start, which was perhaps to be expected as it was his first appearance of the season, but he bounced back well, scoring a try for his team… 6.5

TAREK HAFFAR – made his first Premiership start of the season and though Exeter took it to Saints in the scrum, he still did some good work in open play… 6

SAM MATAVESI – provided plenty of energy as he tried to push his team forward, and he kept things steady at lineout time… 6.5

TREVOR DAVISON – made a couple of notable carries as he tried to push Exeter back, but the Chiefs pack got on top early on… 6

ALEX MOON – made a real impact for his team, winning turnovers, stopping mauls and carrying and tackling hard in an impressive showing… 8.5

CHUNYA MUNGA – won a key turnover at a key time for his team as he kept working hard and got his rewards… 7.5

ALEX COLES – was a really disruptive presence for Exeter at lineout time and he again seemed to be everywhere as he produced another all-action display… 8

ANGUS SCOTT-YOUNG – worked as hard as ever as he put in tackle after tackle in a bid to stop Exeter in their tracks… 7

SAM GRAHAM – looked really strong as he powered into opposition players time and again, while also causing Exeter problems at the breakdown… 8.5

Replacements (who played more than 20 minutes)

FRASER DINGWALL (for Odendaal 48) – a strong presence to bring from the bench and he did little wrong as he helped add extra leadership to this team… 7

MANNY IYOGUN (for Haffar 51) – how great it is for Saints to have this man back, and he enjoyed a good cameo here… 7

CURTIS LANGDON (for Matavesi 51) – just provides such a spark to this side and he was in the thick of the action in this comeback… 7.5

ALEX MITCHELL (for Braley 51) – how good was his 29 minutes on the pitch? He made the right decision pretty much every time and added such magic as Saints started to tear Exeter apart… 9

TOMMY FREEMAN (for Litchfield 51) – what a player this guy is, and he showed his class once again with some huge breaks that caused havoc… 8