'I'm over the moon - Northampton Saints did it again'

Andy Bartlett (left) and Steve Trippett (right) missed their lunch in order to witness the game

Fans have said they were "delighted", "buzzing" and "over the moon" after Northampton Saints claimed their first Premiership title since 2014.

The men in black, green and gold took on Bath on Saturday at a sold out Twickenham Stadium.

A nail-biting match saw a close battle before Saints edged out into the lead in the final few minutes before claiming a 25-21 win.

Saints fans Andy Bartlett and Steve Trippett travelled down to watch the game and were elated.

"I'm absolutely delighted," Mr Trippett, from Wollaston, said.

"It's the worst they've played all year but they won.

"Half way through the second half I thought they had blown it but we came back."

Mr Bartlett said he was "over the moon" with the result.

"[It was] not such a good game but a brilliant result," he explained.

"You can only play as well as the opposition let you play and we spilt a lot more ball than we normally do but we got there.

"We always find something in the last 20 minutes and we did it again."

Tom O'Callaghan (left) and Ciaran Fenlon (right) aim to be at Sunday's celebratory parade

Tom O'Callaghan, 24, and Ciaran Fenlon, 25, were also at the match and said they were both "buzzing with the result"

"We had a bit of a battle but we got there in the end," Mr Fenlon said.

While Mr O'Callaghan added: "After watching the second half I don't think we performed to the best and we scraped away with it in the end."

The two men added they planned to get back to Northampton in order to enjoy the celebratory parade on Sunday.

Molly Cronan watched the game from The Sevens pub in Northampton

Molly Cronan, 26, who lives in Duston, said she felt "so much relief" at the end.

"It was a really hard and tough win - it was touch and go at times," she said.

"We've been a good rugby team for a while but we've not done top rugby for a while and we've done such a good job this season.

"They were starting to get a bit complacent but they pulled it out the bag right at the last minute, they put in the work and they produced a result."

Simon Stacey spent £300 10 years ago on a Saints tattoo following the previous Premiership win

Simon Stacey, from Desborough, who previously got a tattoo of the team's badge on his leg when they won the Premiership back in 2014, said he nearly fainted during the game.

"I was so exhausted, it was amazing," he said.

"They did what they had to but they do make it hard on us - my hands are still shaking."

Mr Stacey added that as well as changing his tattoo for the team's new logo, he will be adding a mention of this season's win on it "as soon as possible".

Oliver Kwiecien said he believed the win meant a lot for the town

Oliver Kwiecien, 26, said he felt the game was "really, really tense".

"I was worried that we were going to throw it away but thankfully we managed to hold on and get it over the line to get the win," he added.

Mr Kwiecien believes the win "means a lot for Northampton".

He said it "solidifies" the area as the "solid rugby town of the country".

"People across the country will think of Northampton and think these guys are the Rugby Union people, the people who pull out the stops, win the matches, get it over the line and win," he explained.

Marsha Sumar believed the result could help the town grow in a positive way

Marsha Sumar, 48, said she thought the Saints were going to lose but was extremely pleased with the result.

She added it could help Northampton grow as a town.

"I think Northampton is growing anyway because with the football club when they beat people, and now the Saints are pulling it back with a lot of the team are in the England squad, so it's just brilliant for the town," she said.