Gallagher Premiership semi-final: Exeter Chiefs vs Northampton Saints - live score updates

• Latest score: Exeter Chiefs 35 Northampton Saints 12

6:24PM

Full-time | Exeter Chiefs 42 Northampton Saints 12

That's it. We have another final between Exeter and Saracens. And it'll be tasty.

6:24PM

Try, Sam Hill! Exeter Chiefs 42 Northampton Saints 12, 80 minutes

That sums it up. Sam Hill steps forward at first-receiver and smashes into contact. Alex Cuthbert and Ollie Devoto latch on and Exeter surge over the line. Joe Simmonds converts.

6:23PM

Exeter 35 Northampton Saints 12, 79 minutes

Don Armand is over...but he's held up. Rob Baxter walks down to the touchline. It's over now.

Matt Kvesic is named official man of the match.

6:19PM

Exeter 35 Northampton Saints 12

Scrum penalty to Chiefs. Guess what? They're going to the corner.

6:18PM

Exeter 35 Northampton Saints 12, 75 minutes

Saints are attempting to run out of their own 22 but there's a forward pass there. Scrum to Exeter.

6:16PM

Exeter 35 Northampton Saints 12, 73 minutes

Simmonds dinks into space behind the Saints line and Exeter's chase wins a turnover when Kvesic swoops. Gareth Steenson comes on for Tom O'Flaherty. That'll mean Joe Simmonds shifting to full-back.

Exeter go to the corner and Sam Simmonds explodes off the back of the maul. Chiefs build pressure...but Sam Simmonds knocks on at the base of a ruck.

6:13PM

Try, Sam Simmonds! Exeter 35 Northampton Saints 12, 69 minutes

That's it, surely. Replays show the ball on the try-line. Nobody is sure how it got there, but it's a try. Sam Simmonds, who has missed so much of this season due to a knee injury, is the scorer. His brother duly converts.

6:11PM

Exeter Chiefs 28 Northampton Saints 12, 68 minutes     

Saints concede a scrum free-kick and Exeter opt for a five-metre put-in. More graft from Saints' defence. They hold up Sam Simmonds...or do they? We're going to the TMO.

6:06PM

Exeter Chiefs 28 Northampton Saints 12, 66 minutes     

Stubborn defence from Saints. Jamie Gibson muscles the maul turnover.

6:05PM

Exeter Chiefs 28 Northampton Saints 12, 63 minutes   

Another penalty as Saints drag down the maul. Exeter keep them in the corner...

6:03PM

Exeter Chiefs 28 Northampton Saints 12, 63 minutes   

This is powerful stuff from Exeter. Nowell is roaming all over the field and now he steps through a couple of tackles before lifting an offload to Jonny Hill.

Harrison tackles Hepburn high and there is another Exeter penalty. They'll hit the corner.

6:01PM

Exeter Chiefs 28 Northampton Saints 12, 61 minutes 

Mistake from Dan Biggar, whose up and under drifts into touch on the full. Luther Burrell arrives for Saints. This will likely be his final game for Saints.

Sam Simmonds replaces Ewers too.

5:57PM

Exeter Chiefs 28 Northampton Saints 12, 58 minutes 

Luke Cowan-Dickie is on for Exeter and his throw finds Kvesic but Lawes forces another maul turnover.

5:56PM

Exeter Chiefs 28 Northampton Saints 12, 58 minutes

Northampton press on the edge of the Exeter 22 but there's a spill and Dave Ewers marches up-field. Slade glides further forward and then there is a tackle off the ball that gives Chiefs a penalty. They go to the corner.

5:53PM

Exeter Chiefs 28 Northampton Saints 12, 55 minutes

Northampton are not giving this up. Collins streaks down the right flank and kicks ahead but a scampering Jack Nowell saves Chiefs.

5:51PM

Match action

This is a try worthy of winning a play-off game.

5:49PM

Exeter Chiefs 28 Northampton Saints 12, 51 minutes

Now Alex Cuthbert bursts through the middle! Players are really tiring all over the field and the Wales international carves up-field. Exeter recycle with White and Kvesic in support but there is a knock-on.

Meanwhile, Jamie Gibson and David Ribbans arrive from the Saints bench.

5:46PM

Exeter's depth...

5:45PM

Try, Tom O'Flaherty! Exeter Chiefs 28 Northampton Saints 12, 48 minutes

Just like that. Exeter recover Nic White's box-kick and Devoto and Slade eat up metres going wide to the right. When they come back to the left, Ben Moon throws a pass back to his left wing from the gain-line. O'Flaherty accelerates into a hole and then pulls away from Biggar to score. Brilliant solo try.

5:42PM

Try, Dave Dennis! Exeter Chiefs 21 Northampton Saints 12, 45 minutes

It's a barrage, and eventually the dam bursts. After numerous pick and go shunts, Dennis spears over the line. Simmmonds converts and the gap is nine points.

5:38PM

Exeter Chiefs 14 Northampton Saints 12, 42 minutes

Lovely stuff from Saints as they shift wide to Naiyaravoro and Reinach links up to sprint into the Exeter 22. Exeter recover, though, and force a turnover. They clear down-field and then win a lineout just outside the Saints 22...then Exeter creep offside.

Big decision...they go to the corner.

5:34PM

Second half

Here we go again. Reinach gathers the restart and bangs a clearance into touch. He'll need to put that mistake just before half-time out of his mind.

5:20PM

Match action

This interplay from Collins and Hutchinson in the build-up to Tuala's try is really special.

5:19PM

Half-time | Exeter Chiefs 14 Northampton Saints 12

Oh no! Hutchinson ghosts through and looks to link with Reinach but the Springboks drops with the line at his mercy! What a moment that could prove to be. Referee Carley blows for half-time - Saints had a penalty advantage but that went with Hutchinson's break.

5:17PM

Exeter Chiefs 14 Northampton Saints 12, 38 minutes

Now Courtney Lawes derails an Exeter maul. Tom O'Flaherty returns from the sin bin but Saints have a lineout just outside the Exeter 22. Biggar sits deep and attempts a drop-goal...it just drifts wide.

5:14PM

Exeter Chiefs 14 Northampton Saints 12, 35 minutes

Saints spread it wide and Devoto piles in to make a tackle on Harrison but knocks on as the Northampton tries to shift it.

5:12PM

Match action

Here is Joe Simmonds' neat finish from earlier.

5:11PM

Try, Ahsee Tuala! Exeter Chiefs 14 Northampton Saints 12, 32 minutes

Well, well, well. What a try that is. Dan Biggar clips a kick that is held up in the wind and Tom Collins collects it before flicking an offload to his outside. Another cross-field kick is gathered by Naiyaravoro and then Collins offloads to Hutchinson before the outside centre flicks another pass out of contact to Tuala. Wonderful stuff from Northampton.

Biggar misses the conversion but it is very much game on.

5:06PM

Penalty try, Northampton Saints! Exeter Chiefs 14 Northampton Saints 7, 28 minutes

Big call from Carley. Wing Tom O'Flaherty joined the side of a Saints maul that seemed destined for the line.

Fish is deemed to have lost the ball, but Carley awards a penalty try and sends O'Flaherty to the sin bin. Exeter are down to 14.

5:04PM

TMO

Has James Fish scored for Northampton?

5:02PM

Exeter Chiefs 14 Northampton Saints 0, 25 minutes

Two poor kicks from Nic White. Two box-kicks sail out on the full...and both times, Saints gaffe the lineout. However, Exeter then concede a needless penalty and Saints go to touch. Jonny Hill swims around the side of a maul. Northampton will go to the corner once more.

5:00PM

Remember last season's semi-final?

This is very reminiscent of how Exeter manhandled Newcastle last year.

4:57PM

Try, Joe Simmonds! Exeter Chiefs 14 Northampton Saints 0, 22 minutes

That's all about the versatility of Ollie Devoto. Exeter's inside centre clears up a scrappy lineout with a strong carry and then finds his way back to first-receiver. With heavy runners steaming up outside him, he pulls back a delicate pass to his fly-half, who dances through with a neat dummy. Simmonds junior then converts.

4:55PM

Exeter Chiefs 7 Northampton Saints 0, 20 minutes

Another kickable penalty. Another nudge to the corner from Exeter...

4:54PM

Exeter Chiefs 7 Northampton Saints 0, 18 minutes

Reinach slices a box-kick and O'Flaherty tears forward to catch it. Saints are then caught offside in midfield.

4:52PM

Try, Harry Williams! Exeter Chiefs 7 Northampton Saints 0, 16 minutes

The tighthead prop is over. It's a typical period of close-range pressure from Exeter before Williams picks. The initial tackle from Fish and Francois van Wyk is good but Williams absorbs the impact and spins over.

Joe Simmonds adds the extras.

4:49PM

Exeter Chiefs 0 Northampton Saints 0, 15 minutes

James Fish's throw sails over the back of the lineout and Chiefs moves the ball wide to their left. Teimana Harrison is pinged for not releasing the tackled player and Saints are absorbing more pressure. There's a grubber through from Chiefs that is collected by Tuala, who cops a knee on the head from Alex Cuthbert.

I think we'll restart the game with a Saints scrum. Nope, it's an Exeter scrum.

4:45PM

Exeter Chiefs 0 Northampton Saints 0, 12 minutes

Big moment. A huge shove from Saints wins a penalty.

4:44PM

Exeter Chiefs 0 Northampton Saints 0, 11 minutes

Chiefs force a scrum penalty out of Saints tighthead Ehren Painter and hit the corner...they go off the top from the lineout and Ewers goes close. A few phases later, the back-rower picks and goes with Kvesic latching. Carley calls in his TMO...

...who cannot be sure that the ball has touched the line. It'll be a five-metre scrum to Chiefs.

4:41PM

Exeter Chiefs 0 Northampton Saints 0, 8 minutes

Fantastic sequence of defence from Saints. They repel 19 phases of attack from Exeter, a passage that ends when wing Tom O'Flaherty is wrapped up by Ahsee Tuala and Harrison in the shadow of Northampton's posts.

Chiefs keep on the pressure, though. Kvesic tackles Cobus Reinach and then bounces to his feet. Reinach knocks on. Scrum to Exeter just inside Saints' 22.

4:37PM

Exeter Chiefs 0 Northampton Saints 0, 4 minutes

Northampton win a turnover through Alex Moon but then Taqele Naiyaravoro is swamped with Don Armand forcing a holding-on penalty. Henry Slade hits touch on the Saints 22.

4:34PM

Exeter Chiefs 0 Northampton Saints 0, 2 minutes

Northampton's scrum is rock solid, which will be a source of encouragement. Jack Nowell bursts past Rory Hutchinson but then fumbles under a cover tackle from Piers Francis.

4:33PM

Exeter Chiefs 0 Northampton Saints 0, 1 minute

Saints spread the ball from coast to coast but Chiefs hold firm and Dave Ewers makes a muscular tackle that forces a spill.

The first scrum needs a re-set...

4:31PM

Kick-off

And we're away! Dan Biggar goes long and Joe Simmonds collects, clearing back to Saints.

4:30PM

Players out

Here come Northampton, led by Teimana Harrison:

And now Jack Yeandle heads up Exeter's line:

4:26PM

Man in the middle

Matthew Carley takes charge as referee this afternoon.

4:23PM

Atmosphere check

4:13PM

"We felt we didn't do ourselves justice"

Rob Baxter admits his side would really, really like a chance to avenge their final defeat to Saracens 12 months ago.

4:09PM

Calm before the storm

Dan Biggar takes it all in. Twenty minutes until kick-off now.

4:04PM

Head to head

Henry Slade's tussle with Rory Hutchinson should be a lot of fun.

4:03PM

When the Saints come walking in

This was about an hour ago. The players are still limbering up.

4:00PM

Half an hour until kick-off

Score predictions in the comments section, please.

3:58PM

"The worst mistake is to think you can come in and fix everything straightaway"

Chris Boyd says it was important for him to figure out "who's who in the zoo" before starting at Northampton on a full-time basis.

3:56PM

"We're excited, we're looking forward to this - it's a one-off game"

The wing seems relaxed and ready to go. He says Saints' gameplan worked in passages last weekend and they'll be looking for something similar.

3:55PM

"The danger is slipping off the pace but we've been working hard"

Henry Slade tells BT Sport's Ben Kay that Exeter have been working hard to increase the 21-point gap that split the teams last weekend.

3:50PM

Last time

There's a Game of Thrones reference in this report from Dan Schofield. Have a look.

3:49PM

Second semi

So, who will Saracens face at Twickenham in their bid to defend their domestic title? We will find out next up, as Exeter Chiefs host Northampton Saints.

The fans have piled into Sandy Park. Here are a few young ones who will be supporting Exeter, you imagine:

Northampton have finished the regular season extremely well to snatch a place in the play-offs and this game should be fascinating. Can they reach the decider? Here are the teams.

Exeter Chiefs

Santiago Cordero has not recovered in time from his knee complaint, so Tom O'Flaherty starts on the wing with Jack Nowell at full-back.

Northampton Saints

There are four changes to Saints' pack following last week's loss to the same opponents at the same venue. The message is clear. Chris Boyd wants to bolster his set piece.