PREMIERSHIP FINAL TALKING POINTS

PACKING A PUNCH THERE are huge men across the park on both sides today and whoever dominates up front holds the key to this final. Look at the Saracens team and you have massive guys like 22st lock Will Skelton, 20st Billy Vunipola and Maro Itoje — who is small in comparison to the other two at 18st 3lbs! Exeter base their game on the work of their tireless forwards, too, with two sets of international props (Ben Moon, Harry Williams, Alec Hepburn and Tomas Francis) vital, as well as a dynamic back-row of Don Armand, Matt Kvesic and Dave Ewers.

If Saracens can smash the big runners from the Chiefs backwards, as they did last year, it could be another long afternoon for Exeter. But if the Devonians find a way to disrupt the likes of Vunipola, Skelton and Itoje, and chop them down early in tackles, they might have some joy. ROB BAXTER v MARK McCALL THE two top coaches in the domestic game have both been tipped to take charge of England in the future and would command immediate respect from the dressing room as they have been there and got the T- shirt — which historically has not been the criteria to coach England.

Today is a fascinating battle. Both coaches have been in charge of their sides for a decade now and have created distinct styles of play at Exeter and Saracens.

While Exeter have beaten Saracens in regularseason matches, they have not done so in a final, so can Baxter and his coaching team outsmart McCall and Co this time?

If they do, it will be an amazing feat because Sarries are such dominant European champions. And it would enhance Baxter’s international coaching credentials no end. ADAPTABILITY SARACENS have shown they know how to win big finals — winning seven major titles in the last eight years that. As they know, it is about building a score, tightening the screw and taking every point on offer to get over the line. If Exeter are to beat Saracens they need to learn this quickly. Throughout the league season they backed themselves to score tries at almost every attacking opportunity, they kick penalties to the corner and use their multi-phase game with crashing forwards and rolling mauls to score. They kicked the fewest penalties of any side this season with fly-halves Gareth Steenson (7) and Joe Simmonds (4) taking only 11 between them. It is a very worthy way of playing, but to beat Saracens they must build the score and kick every goal — that is penalties and especially drop-goals. They cannot turn down shots at goal today. My simple message to them is ‘build the score’.