The game had great drama throughout, despite Bath being reduced to 14 players when Beno Obano was red-carded for a high tackle midway through the first half.
It was the same with the season as a whole, with only 10 league points separating Northampton and Bath, who finished first and second in the table on 60 points, from Exeter, who finished seventh on 50.
This season you would expect Northampton and Bath to pick up where they left off - with the Saints looking to retain the title, and Bath looking to go one better by supplanting them at the top.
Northampton topped the Premiership for most of last season, and they deserved to win it, with Courtney Lawes going out in style before moving to France to join Brive.
The Saints have such an exciting back line; Tommy Freeman is a class act, and the combination of him and George Furbank has helped to transform the England backline. I was also impressed by the way Ollie Sleightholme took his chance in New Zealand over the summer to force his way into England contention on the wing.
I'm looking forward to this season, and because I'm a Bathonian I watched a lot of Bath last season, mainly because they were worth watching - and it was the same across the board in the Premiership.
Bath's resurgence started at the end of the 2023 season, and continued strongly last campaign to put them in with a title shot. Finn Russell will be wanting to make Bath's attack even more incisive, and out wide Will Muir was brilliant last season. The fans love him, and with Joe Cokanasiga also having one of his best seasons at The Rec, they are in good shape on the wings. Johann van Graan also did well to rotate his front five but keep the pack competitive, and he looked after the squad as a whole, with no-one over-used.
This story is from the {{IssueName}} edition of {{MagazineName}}.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Sign In
This story is from the {{IssueName}} edition of {{MagazineName}}.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
Edwards gives Gatland a little to think about
A TERRIFIC effort from Ospreys should have seen victory and it was rough justice that high-flying Cardiff escaped with an undeserved draw.
Cowan-Dickie: I'm back and buzzing
LUKE Cowan-Dickie's journey back to the pinnacle of rugby is nothing short of extraordinary.
Clow keeps Rams in touch at the top
RAMS inward approach is paying dividends with the club involved in another title race thanks in part to free scoring flyer Zachary Clow.
Powell powers over to take Quins home
PLAYMAKER Kayleigh Powell powered past four defenders to score the eighth Harlequins try and narrowly edge out a spirited Trailfinders side to secure a late comeback win in a 15-try derby thriller.
Hathaway can follow Zam Skivington
GEORGE Skivington has backed Josh Hathaway to continue to go from strength to strength as the young winger attempts to follow in the slipstream of Louis Rees-Zammit and be a big hit for club and country.
Hybrid Hash will tie Borthwick in knots
THE description 'Hybrid Central Contracts' does not inspire confidence. Hybrid usually means a bit of this, and a bit of that — and 'Hybrid Hash' would be a more apt term for the RFU contracts given to 17 England players just before the autumn series slump.
Quins leave it late to power past Falcons
MARCUS Smith showed his class on Friday night, being an imperious creator and finisher as Harlequins romped to an emphatic five-try victory on Tyneside.
We need to see a complete shake-up
A NEW year and change is on the way across many aspects of the game, not least with the possibility of an SGM creating a complete change at the RFU.
Cool McBryde steals it for RGC
BILLY McBryde held his nerve to land a last kick of the match conversion to snatch a stunning 4139 win for RGC over leaders Ebbw Vale at Parc Eirias.
Century of highs for La Rochelle
AN IMPRESSIVE milestone at Stade Marcel Deflandre was reached last night, where La Rochelle hosted their 100th sell-out match in a row – either side of the period of pandemic restrictions – a run stretching back to January 2, 2016.
