Aviva Premiership 2016 Final Preview.

This weekend the Premiership final will be contested by the two sides that finished first and second in the regular season. Saracens who topped the pile will be making their fifth appearance in a domestic finalin seven years, whilst for Exeter it will be their first ever outing in English rugby's top match.
The game promises to be full of massive match-ups and battlegrounds but below I've listed four of the key areas and factors which I believe will be fundamental to the outcome of the game.

-The Number 10 duel-

Owen Farrell has made Twickenham his second home in recent times but his fitness may remain a potential issue. Regardless of what Saracens say, there is no way to claim full fitness until its been tested in the heat of battle.  Farrell's opposite number will be the Northern Irishman Gareth Steenson. The Chiefs kicker has been with Exeter since there Championship days and is a hugely popular figure amongst the Sandy Park faithful. Steenson collected the Golden Boot and was also named in the League's Dream Team at the awards dinner. The need for a reliable and consistent 10 is essential to winning any game, but in a final where nerves are pushed to the limit and the score is close, it will be these two point scorers that could potentially be the difference.

-The line out battle-

Armand has been pivotal to the Chiefs lineout.

The Saracens pairing of Itoje and Kruis are attracting a fair bit of attention, and quite rightly. It is the job of Exeter's Geoff Parling to create real problems for these two at the lineout. When Saracens win clean ball from the throw it allows them speed and fluidity to exercise their wonderfully expansive game plan. If this is allowed to happen the Chiefs will undoubtedly struggle to contain those in black and red. Equally Saracens must be alert to the threat that Exeter pose should they be allowed to manipulate driving maul situations close to the whitewash. The Devonians may be missing top try scorer Thomas Waldrom but Don Armand has had an equally impressive campaign and with him carrying ball behind the potent rolling pack of Exeter, real questions will be asked of the north London outfit.

-The occasion-

Both teams come into this tie from very different angles. For Saracens, Premiership finals have been fairly regular of late and the thought of a double, following their European success could be the perfect incentive to inspire them this weekend. Exeter, on the other hand, have never got this far before, the last couple of years have seen them play more and more games labelled as 'The biggest in

Twickenham will host the season's climax.

the club's history'. The vast majority of these have seen the Chiefs rise to the occasion and play some of their best rugby. The same will be required again in what is their most recent biggest game ever. For the many Exeter players who have been with the club since its lower tier days its important they channel these emotions and experiences and not let the thought of how far they've come weigh heavily on their minds come kick off.

-The first 20-

The old cliche says how you can't win it early on but you can certainly lose it, and that is still as true as ever. Saracens blew Leicester away early on in their semi final meeting and that match was effectively over by half time as a contest. Exeter will need to get off to a good start, Saracens are immense at game management and if they have the advantage of being up on the scoreboard or even simply in touch come the later stages, things could get very difficult for Rob Baxter's men.

Henry Justice