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Gloucester edged out Exeter to keep their top-six hopes alive and prevent the Chiefs from sealing a Premiership play-off place for the first time.

Exeter, promoted from the Championship in 2010, remain second behind Saracens.

Following a pointless first half - the first in the top flight since 2009 - the match came to life with wing Ollie Thorley's debut try for the hosts and two Gareth Steenson penalties.

Scotland's Greig Laidlaw landed three kicks to secure victory for Gloucester.

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So while we pause for breath in Northampton, now seems as good a time as any to remind you what's happened already in round 20, starting with Friday's fixture at Kingsholm...

Fourth-placed Leicester Tigers hold all the cards in terms of the play-off places, and they hold all the cards at Franklin's Gardens tonight too.

Tries from Harry Thacker and Niki Goneva have them 17-13 ahead at half-time.

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And from the angle Stephen Myler lands the kick to reduce the deficit to four parts at the midway stage.

Having elected to go for touch originally, another Leicester infringement at the line-out sees Stephen Myler this time opt for the posts.

The clock is red, so this will be the final act of the half...

Northampton have the ball back in hand again now though - at least until Manu Tuilagi's thumping challenge on George Pisi.

But did the England centre take the Saints centre above the horizontal? It's marginal, but the penalty goes Northampton's way nonetheless. We march towards the final minute of the half.

It's third time lucky for Leicester though, as they are awarded the penalty and pop the ball into touch. After a thunderous opening 30 minutes, the last seven or so have been far from flowing.

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It's time for the two packs get down to business just inside the Leicester half now, Tigers scrum-half Ben Youngs with the put-in. Although a sequence of collapse, reset, collapse reset has the home crowd jeering again soon enough.

At least the sun is shining. You'd never know it was snowing this morning...

It won't be arriving on this occasion, however, as their attempted rolling maul collapses into a messy-looking muddle on the floor and Tigers are awarded the penalty.

As Leicester's penalty count ticks over to an eye-watering six even at this early stage, Northampton head for the corner. A fourth try of the evening? Saints hope so...

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After all the excitement at Wembley and Sixways, we weren't really expecting a quiet evening in the East Midlands were we?

Three tries in the opening half an hour and this potentially play-off-deciding derby is shaping up beautifully.

The Saints secure the restart and are piling forward again, their tails up and with the wind in their sails.

But hold on, Luther Burrell's blind pass has gone astray...

Northampton are back on the attack now too, up the 22-metre line. It's taken the hosts 22 minutes to visit the opposition 22 with ball in hand.

What can they do with it?...

Stephen Myler makes no mistake and the home side are on the board. It's a start for Saints, at least.

And that whistle does appear to have handed the hosts a bit of a reprieve, as Teimana Harrison carries not once but twice over the gainline in quick succession and earns his side a penalty.

"I'll have a tee, please," says Stephen Myler...

This has been a superb start from Leicester, again working through the phases. Until Dominic Barrow fails to release on the floor, that is, and a roar duly greets Tim Wigglesworth's whistle.

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And fly-half Freddie Burns makes absolutely no mistake, splitting the sticks and putting his team ahead.

In other news, already a bit of chat about a possible kit clash here. Watching on from a distance it's not too much of a problem, it must be said.