Even then the drama was far from over, Smith saving the best for last with a wonderful victory waltz.
Rob Baxter, the understandably disappointed Chiefs’ director of rugby, said: “Today wasn’t do or die for us, we still got two points from the game. The season is still in our hands, but there is a frustration in the group because we had a chance to close on those sides above us.”
Match details
Scoring sequence: 5-0 Feyi-Waboso try, 7-0 Slade con, 12-0 Rigg try, 14-0 Slade con, 14-5 Mitchell try, 14-7 Smith con, 14-12 Sleightholme try, 14-14 Smith con, 19-14 Ridl try, 21-14 Slade con, 21-19 Furbank try, 21-21 Smith con, 21-26 Pollock try, 21-28 Smith con, 26-28 Brown-Bampoe try, 28-28 Slade con, 28-33 Smith try, 28-35 Smith con.
Exeter Chiefs: O Woodburn (W Haydon-Wood 55); I Feyi-Waboso, H Slade, W Rigg (P Brown-Bampoe 66), C Ridl; H Skinner, S Varney; S Sio (E Burger 69), J Yeandle (J Dweba 26), J Roots (B Tchumbadze 40); D Jenkins (c, R Tuima 69), A Zambonin, T Hooper, R Vintcent (E Roots 57), G Fisilau.
Replacement: (not used): T Cairns. Yellow cards: Feyi-Waboso, Ridl.
Northampton Saints: G Furbank (c), G Hendy (T Freeman 51), T Litchfield, F Dingwall, O Sleightholme; F Smith, A Mitchell (A McParland 55); E Iyogun (T West 60), C Wright (R Smith 60), C Kundiona (E Millar Mills 55); E Prowse (JJ Van der Mesch 72), T Lockett; J Kemeny, S Graham (H Pollock 60), C Chick.
Replacement: (not used): J Pater.
Referee: A Leal
Attendance: 12,121