The China Mail - Fairytale finish for Lawes as Northampton edge Bath in Premiership final

Northampton skipper Lawes, a former England captain, was playing his 283rd and final game for the Saints before the 35-year-old powerhouse forward joins French side Brive.

After Bath prop Beno Obano was sent off in the 22nd minute for a dangerous tackle, Northampton -- who topped the regular season table -- surged into a 15-3 lead.

But Bath fought back to be level at 18-18 in the second half. Northampton scrum-half Alex Mitchell put the Saints four points ahead when he went over for a converted try seven minutes from time following a brilliant run by replacement George Hendy, the player of the match.

Then, with 80 minutes on the clock, Northampton had to survive one final Bath attack from a line-out before securing their first Premiership title since 2014, with Lawes also involved in that success as well.

Defeat left Bath, who only two years ago finished bottom of the table, still searching for their first major honour in 16 years.

The seventh-minute of the final featured a minute's applause for the late Rob Burrow, who wore the number seven shirt, following the Leeds and England rugby league star's death aged 41 from Motor Neurone Disease.

Bath fly-half Finn Russell, who'd scuffed his first penalty, kicked Bath into a 3-0 lead before opposing stand-off Fin Smith, also off-target with his first goal-kick, landed a 30-metre drop-goal.

Bath then suffered a major setback when, after consulting the television match official, referee Christophe Ridley decided Obano's shoulder-led challenge to the head of Northampton No 8 Juarno Augustus merited a red card.

Northampton wasted little in making their man advantage count, creating an overlap for England wing Tommy Freeman to score a 24th-minute converted try converted as they went 10-3 ahead.

And that became 15-3 when left wing Ollie Sleightholme chipped ahead and beat the cover before touching down in the left corner.

Bath, however, hit back on the half-hour mark when, from a line-out, South African prop Thomas Du Toit powered over before Russell landed a tough conversion from wide out on the right.

The second half started with a penalty exchange between the two fly-halves.

Bath then drew level when scrum-half Ben Spencer's cross-kick was knocked backwards by Hendy, with left wing Ollie Muir then touching down.

Russell was unable to convert but Bath were level at 18-18

Russell, who only joined Bath from Paris-based Racing 92 after last year's World Cup in France, landed a penalty to leave his side 21-18 ahead with 14 minutes to play.

Northampton had the last word when after Hendy's break, Mitchell went over for a try converted by England full-back George Furbank.

M.Chau--ThChM