Northampton Saints are the champions of England!

They beat Exeter Chiefs 26-17 in the final to be crowned champions for the second time in three years.

Alfie Reynolds, Alex Lowe and Charlie Morgan look back on the match and ask what does it mean for Northampton? Does this cement them as the latest dynasty in English rugby?

Will Exeter be able to bounce back from this defeat? And, why is it that the Prem final always delivers such a great occasion?

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Northampton Saints will play Exeter Chiefs in the Prem final on Saturday.

Alfie and Will are at Sandy Park in Devon as they look ahead to the match and chat to Exeter's Director of Rugby Rob Baxter and winger Olly Woodburn.

They discuss whether Northampton Saints will win a second title in three years or whether Exeter are about to finish a remarkable run to the title.

Baxter chats about his pride in getting the club back to the final and what they have learnt from their previous trips to Twickenham. Whilst Olly Woodburn discusses last minute drop goals and celebratory ski goggles.

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Northampton will face Exeter in the Prem final!

Charlie Morgan and Will Kelleher join Alfie Reynolds to look back on the semi-final weekend which produced two excellent matches as Northampton beat rivals Leicester and Exeter produced a comeback to win away against Bath.

Despite all their success under Rob Baxter, was this one of Exeter's great days? They became only the 7th team in Prem history to win away from home in a semi-final.

Have they played their final already? Or can they produce another remarkable result?

Northampton will look to cement themselves as the dominant side in England when they make the trip to Twickenham next weekend. How impressive is it for them to be back in the final again?

Plus, could Maro Itoje really miss England's matches this summer?

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The Prem rugby semi-final line-up is confirmed: Northampton hosts rivals Leicester and Bath play Exeter.

Alfie Reynolds, Alex Lowe and Charlie Morgan preview the semi-finals and ask is this the hardest season to predict who will make the final?

Could an away side get a rare victory?

They also discuss the teams near the bottom of the league. Who had the most disappointing campaign? And who has reasons to be optimistic?

Plus, Andy Farrell has signed a contract extension to remain Ireland head coach until 2031. How big a blow is that to England and the RFU? And what does it say about the appeal of the England head coach job?

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With one week of the regular season remaining Alfie, Will and Elgan look ahead to the final weekend in the Prem.

They chat about the crunch fixtures as Bath host Leicester and Exeter play Saracens and ask who will make it into the play-offs?

With Bristol now out of the running for the top four they ask what next for the club? Is this another season of underachievement? And, have Sale hit rock bottom following their last-gasp defeat away to lowly Newcastle?

Plus, Saracens and England full-back Elliot Daly chats to Will and Elgan about his latest injury set-back, the departing Mark McCall and Saracens' push for the play-offs.

And, Worcester have won the Champ, Jo Yapp will be the first coach of the British & Irish Lions women's team and is Shaun Edwards departing France?

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Alex and Will are in Bilbao to reflect on the Champions Cup final!

Bordeaux have won back-to-back titles to join the elite sides in European Club rugby. What makes them so special? It is now 6 years in a row that a French club have been crowned Champions of Europe, how can anyone catch them?

What does this defeat mean for Leinster? Their 5th Champions Cup final defeat in a row and is this one the most damaging of the lot?

Plus, do EPCR need to do more 'destination' cities for their finals? And will we see a World Cup in Spain!?

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Steve Borthwick's latest England training squad includes Benhard Janse Van Rensburg, who has qualified on residency grounds. Does it make sense for him to be parachuted directly into the set up? Or is it a bad look for the RFU and their talent pipelines?

Alfie Reynolds, Charlie Morgan and Will Kelleher chat about that and the news that South African sides might pull out of the Champions Cup. Is this a good or a bad thing for the competition?

Bordeaux attack coach Noel McNamara speaks to Will ahead of the Champions Cup final this weekend as they take on Leinster. The lads reflect on the end of the Women's 6 Nations as the Red Roses won the title again. And, they review a 'disgraceful' defeat for Bristol in the Prem as Pat Lam's side conceded over 90 points.

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Despite England having their worst ever men's 6 Nations campaign why has an RFU review backed Steve Borthwick in his role as head coach?

Alfie, Alex and Will discuss the RFU's decision, what needs to change for England and why the review process if so secretive.

Plus, they chat about whether Cornish Pirates will become a Prem club after they acquired funding from an American private equity group, the latest twists and turns in the race for the play-offs and Elgan joins them to look ahead to a grand slam decider in the Women's 6 Nations.

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Bordeaux and Leinster reached the Champions Cup final after defeating Bath and Toulon, respectively. The defending champions Bordeaux now have a chance to win back-to-back titles, while Leinster will hope to finally end their Champions Cup drought.

But were Bath hard done by? It appeared that match officials were not shown replays for some high tackles. Was this the case?

Is it a problem unique to matches broadcast in France? Or is it a wider issue that needs fixing?

Plus, they discuss both semi-finals in detail, including Leo Cullen's bizarre, 6-minute, loaded answer in his press conference. And, they look ahead to a big weekend in the Prem.

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Shane Christie was one of the brightest rugby stars in New Zealand before suffering multiple concussions, leading to a brain injury that would slowly take everything from him. And his experience is far from unique. In this deeply personal account, David Walsh talks to Shane's former partner, Holly Parkes, to ask, What happened? What does Shane's story reveal about the sport he loved deeply? And can rugby survive the fallout? 

This is part one of a two-part special investigation into the crisis facing this global game. 

This podcast was brought to you thanks to the support of readers of The Times and The Sunday Times. Subscribe today: http://thetimes.com/thestory

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Guest: Holly Parkes

Host: David Walsh, chief sports writer, The Sunday Times

Producer: Sophie McNulty

We want to hear from you - email: [email protected]

Read more: Two friends, two suicides. How did rugby let this happen?

Clips: Harlequins - YouTube.

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