Exeter Chiefs are through to the Prem Final for the first time in five years, following a narrow 26, 27 win away at Bath.

The Chiefs will play Northampton at Twickenham next Saturday (20th June).

The match started with an entertaining first five minutes at the Recreation Ground, with high tempo and both Bath and the Chiefs creating chances.

Exeter’s Campbell Ridl scored what was thought to be the opening try of the match but a forward pass by Henry Slade meant the try was disallowed.

Bath responded by building phases toward Exeter’s try line before Henry Slade committed a foul just metres out, meaning the Exeter centre received a yellow card and a spell in the sin bin.

To the delight of the home fans at the Recreation Ground (and an extra man) Bath took the lead courtesy of Beno Obano, who crashed over and opened the scoring.

Bath seemed to thrive with an extra player and touched down again, doubling their lead. Thomas Du Tuit finished off a well-worked score for the hosts.

The atmosphere inside the Recreation Ground was electric throughout, with both sets of fans urging their teams on during relentless on-field battles before Exeter broke through to score their first try of the match. Christ Tshinuza with a moment of brilliance, a cheeky step and rolled over to give the Chiefs their opening try of the semi-final.

But Bath remained relentless as the half wore on, continuing to apply pressure and make the most of their attacking momentum. Their were rewarded with two more tries before the break, with Harry Arundell and Jack Cokanisiga both crossing the line to strengthen the hosts’ grip on the semi-final.

The half time score was Bath 26, Exeter 10.

After a slow start to the second half, Exeter Chiefs winger Ben Hammersley collected Slade’s pass and burst through a gap to score, reducing the deficit.

Exeter came alive, building through the phases and taking control, before Greg Fisilau powered over for the Chiefs’ third try. For the first time in the match, Exeter were on top-with just four points in it.

Having trailed by 16 points at half-time, Exeter Chiefs took the lead with just over 10 minutes remaining when Ethan Burger powered through Bath’s defensive line to complete a remarkable turnaround at the Recreation Ground. The question now was whether the Chiefs could hold on.

In the end, the Chiefs did manage to hold on. Bath threw everything at them in the final stages, stringing together more than 40 phases as they searched for a late score. But Exeter’s defence stood firm, holding up the hosts’ attack and sealing a dramatic one-point victory.

The full time score at a sold-out Recreation Ground was Bath 26, Exeter 27.