Alex Mitchell’s return should have felt like the headline selection for Northampton Saints, but the sharper detail is where Phil Dowson has put him.
The British and Irish Lion is back in the matchday squad for Saturday’s Gallagher PREM final against Exeter Chiefs, yet Saints have kept Archie McParland at scrum-half and named Mitchell among the replacements. That one call says plenty about Northampton’s mood before Twickenham: they are trusting the side that got them there, rather than bending the final around a returning name.
Exeter have made the opposite kind of statement. Immanuel Feyi-Waboso comes straight into the starting XV after his jaw-surgery scare, giving Rob Baxter’s side the most explosive back-three weapon available to them. It leaves the final framed by two very different selection instincts: Saints holding their nerve, Chiefs reaching for their strike power.
Dowson trusts Northampton’s rhythm
Northampton’s starting XV is unchanged from the semi-final win over Leicester, and that matters. George Furbank captains the side from full-back in his final Saints appearance before his Harlequins move, with Tommy Freeman and George Hendy on the wings and Tom Litchfield continuing at outside centre.
That backline has already been central to the build-up. ReadRugbyUnion looked earlier at how Litchfield’s surge has changed Northampton’s final threat, and Dowson’s team sheet backs that up. There is no late reshuffle to accommodate reputation. McParland, Fin Smith, Litchfield and Henry Pollock keep the attacking framework that has made Saints so difficult to contain.
Mitchell’s bench role is still a major weapon. In a final that could easily become stretched after 55 minutes, Northampton can introduce a Lions scrum-half against tiring defenders while still preserving the tempo McParland has helped establish. It is a selection with a bit of edge: not cautious, but controlled.
Feyi-Waboso changes Exeter’s ceiling
Exeter’s decision around Feyi-Waboso is more direct. The England wing starts at 14, with Olly Woodburn at full-back and Campbell Ridl on the other wing. Henry Slade and Len Ikitau remain the centre pairing, while Harvey Skinner and Stephen Varney continue in the half-backs.
That gives Exeter a backline with enough experience to manage Twickenham and enough pace to punish loose Northampton exits. The key point, though, is that Feyi-Waboso is not being eased in from the bench. After the uncertainty around his jaw injury, covered here when his clearance gave Exeter’s final week a genuine twist, Baxter has gone straight for maximum threat.
It also sharpens the duel with Saints’ wide channels. Northampton want to play quickly, keep the ball alive and stress defensive spacing. Exeter will believe Feyi-Waboso gives them a way to turn one missed connection into seven points.
The bench could decide the final
Both sides have built benches with a clear purpose. Northampton go 6-2, with Craig Wright, Danilo Fischetti, Luke Green, JJ van der Mescht, Tom Lockett and Callum Chick covering the forwards, leaving Mitchell and Fraser Dingwall as the backline options. Exeter include Christ Tshiunza, Ross Vintcent, Kane James, Tom Cairns and Will Haydon-Wood among their replacements.
That balance makes the final less about who has the bigger headline name and more about which squad can impose its version of pressure deepest into the match. Saints have continuity and a game-breaking replacement scrum-half. Chiefs have a reshaped side with Feyi-Waboso restored and Dafydd Jenkins leading from the second row.
The broader tactical picture has already been set out in ReadRugbyUnion’s look at why Northampton’s balance gives Exeter a different final problem. The confirmed teams now make that problem more precise.
If Saints are right, Mitchell’s late arrival can finish what their rhythm starts. If Exeter are right, Feyi-Waboso’s first touch might make all the careful Northampton planning feel suddenly fragile.
