Saints star Mitchell: 'I was in gear two or three just to get to 80 minutes'

But in the end, it all worked out for the England star as he came off the bench to guide the black, green and gold to glory at Allianz Stadium, Twickenham.

Mitchell returned from a hamstring injury, which he picked up at an England training camp last month, to make the matchday squad for the league showpiece.

He was named on the bench, with breakthrough ace Archie McParland starting again.

However, McParland suffered a leg injury when trying to prevent a try on 10 minutes, pushing Mitchell into action far earlier than planned.

He had gone from potentially not even being involved in the final to having to play a huge part in it.

But Mitchell once again showed his class as he conducted operations and made it through to the final whistle as Saints secured a 26-17 win against Exeter Chiefs.

"It was a bit weird coming back two weeks early," Mitchell said, speaking to this publication at Sunday afternoon's PREM title parade.

"It was tough seeing Archie going down early and I was pretty dark going on the pitch, but it was fine.

"We're prepped to do this and the backroom staff had got me in a good place so I was fine to play 70 minutes.

"We got over the line and got the win - that's what matters."

When asked how confident he was he could make it back in time for the final, Mitchell said: "It's just the scan says one thing and how you perform and train is another.

"When I trained and ran and gymed it felt fine so that's the big thing.

"You're not always expecting to play 70 minutes in a PREM final against the best. That was something we were a bit worried about and it literally happened but we found a way.

"I was in gear two or three just to get to 80 minutes but we got the win."

When asked how drained he felt at full-time, Mitchell said: "I was knackered at half-time! I was on the bike and I was in a tough spot, thinking I'd got to do another 40 minutes with my hammy twitching a bit as well.

"I just had to get to 80 minutes and with this side, we can do that.

"Most of the players carried me and it was a fantastic day."

Saints came out firing after the second hydration break as George Hendy's two quickfire tries saw off Exeter.

And Mitchell said: "I think that second one (hydration break) helped us a lot - I think we needed that.

"I don't remember the one in the first 20 - I must have been blowing that much!

"But at 60 minutes, with the bench that came on, credit to the boys because it was fantastic and I'm so happy."

Reflecting on winning the PREM for a second time in three seasons, Mitchell, who scored the winning try in the 2024 final against Bath, said: "It's amazing.

"Obviously we did it two years ago but it's a massive experience and it's nice because boys like (Henry) Pollock and Archie were away with the England Under-20s when we won it last time and there's a lot of boys who have joined since.

"It's nice to do the whole experience again and I think we've done it a lot better than two years ago.

"It was nice to be with some family and friends and have a couple of drinks on Saturday night. You soak it all in.

"I've been here 11 or 12 years and in the first nine years we got nowhere near winning this thing so it's amazing."

Saints had to experience the heartache of losing to Union Bordeaux Bègles in the Investec Champions Cup final last year, meaning their parade plans had to be ripped up on that occasion.

"It's tough to think about but it's one of those," Mitchell said.

"Last year, we came up a bit short but that's the nature of sport.

"But two out of three in major finals isn't bad so we're pretty happy."

When asked about the development of Saints in recent times, British & Irish Lions man Mitchell said: "It's been fantastic.

"The last couple of years for me personally has been amazing.

"With this squad, the coaches, the backroom staff, it's amazing people and everyone loves being here and going to work, which obviously helps you push on and motivate yourself so we're in a good place."