Exeter becomes English rugby champion for first time

Updated Mar. 4, 2020 7:49 p.m. ET

LONDON (AP) Exeter Chiefs became the rugby champions of England for the first time in their 146-year history by beating Wasps 23-20 in the Premiership final thanks to a penalty late in extra time at Twickenham on Saturday.

Gareth Steenson booted a last-minute penalty in normal time to take a pulsating game to extra time, and the flyhalf slotted over a kick with three minutes left to clinch Exeter the title in front of 79,000 spectators.

Exeter, a cathedral city in southwest England, was a fourth-tier club when rugby union turned professional in 1995, and has been in the country's top division since only 2010. The team lost to Saracens in the 2016 final.

The Chiefs are England's eighth different Premiership champions, after Newcastle, Leicester, Wasps, Sale Sharks, Saracens, Harlequins and Northampton.