Just got back from the final. Great atmosphere (far better than the LDH, that's for sure!). Personally I thought Chiefs were good for their lead at half time. They seemed to be taking the game to Sarries. It was only really in the last 30 minutes of the game that Sarries felt like they would snatch it.
One thing that got me thinking was the last Farrell penalty. It was pretty close to centre of the pitch & looked like it would be a sitter for him, but he missed it. I wonder if that was a deliberate miss. Here's my theory:
Clock is on 72:52 when the penalty is given, and at 74:13 when he takes the kick. The score is 27-30
If Farrell scores with the penalty, that only moves the score to 27-33, while giving Exeter the following kick-off, putting the ball into Sarries territory. A mistake by Sarries could give Chiefs the chance to kick to the corner, and use their well known "catch&drive" for a try, possibly converted to put Chiefs back in the lead.
However, if Farrell *misses* then it becomes a 22 drop-out that will lead to Sarries getting the ball back, probably within Exeters' half. Yes, the score is still only 3 points difference, but territory is key that late in the game. If they can waste a couple of minutes in Exeters' half, then it makes it easier to see out the rest of the game.
The big question is "Did Farrell miss on purpose?"