TWICKENHAM, London -- After the most gruelling of seasons, it ended up being a battle of mind over body for the Aviva Premiership title.

It verged on cruel to put these players through an extra 20 minutes under the scorching sun as the game finished locked at 20-20. As players fell to the ground in sheer exhaustion, it needed one final push from the Exeter front row and the ever-reliable boot of Gareth Steenson to clinch the title.

This was truly heroic from both sides. It was rugby's version of Joshua-Klitschko.

As they battled out in the steaming cauldron of Twickenham, they were engulfed by a truly wonderful atmosphere. The Tomahawk Chop rang out from all areas of the stadium, as Wasps' fans responded in kind. The rugby was breathtaking at times, nervous at others as the sun played havoc with normally pinpoint radars both with kicking and passing.

Exeter ended up having too much in the tank for Wasps but we should have seen this coming. They finished the season locked on 84 points. Their last meeting, prior to the final, finished in a 35-35 draw. After 80 minutes, nothing could separate them. After 17 minutes of extra time, it was still all square.

That was until JP Doyle raised his arm in the air, gave Exeter a penalty at the fourth scrum reset, and Steenson -- the man who has been there since their days in the Championship -- was the rightful hero. What a tale for a club who have done it their own way, have defied doubters and built on Devon rock.

Wasps played their part. They were dreadful in the first half, but managed to get into the break just four points behind. At the start of the second half, we finally saw the real Wasps as they attacked from everywhere and had the Chiefs on the ropes.

But despite their magical ability in the backs, they didn't have a front row to match it as Exeter got an ascendancy there that eventually gave them the platform to win the game and the title.

Their front row was phenomenal but so too were Don Armand and Jack Nowell. Both starred in their semifinal win over Saracens and brought real class to the Exeter game plan. Nowell proved once again why he is going to be a British & Irish Lion this summer while Armand tackled himself to exhaustion with an unrivalled work rate.

But this was a win built on culture, on a self-belief forged within the individual and the collective. As Rob Baxter wiped the tears from his eyes at full time, you can imagine that the whole of his rugby life flashed in front of his eyes. Those days playing in front of tiny crowds in the Championship, to promotion, to their first forays at Europe's top table to last year's defeat in the final to finally winning the title. What a club, what a coach.

Their values were there to see in Devon black-and-white. On-field communication was constant, and any decisions were calm and methodical. Steenson, the team's central force, was magnificent while their bench brought some renewed focus.

Wasps were off-colour in the first half. They were making silly errors and looked nervous. Exeter should have been further ahead at the break, but this Wasps team is special. Nathan Hughes was magnificent at the back of the scrum while Jimmy Gopperth showed again why he was crowned the league's best player.

The men from Coventry will have their day in the sun. They say you have to go through heartbreak to experience success in top-level rugby, and this time next year there is every chance it will be they who are celebrating with the title. They have the players and infrastructure to be crowned champions next year.

But today is Exeter's day. Those men from Devon don't make a song and dance about what they are building. They go under the radar and have these wonderful intangible attributes.

They aren't a team of individual superstars, but are one hell of a team. Exeter deserve every success and in the end and just had that little bit more in the tank, plus perhaps the mental strength, to achieve their first title.

With the strength of the academy, and their canny recruitment, do not rule out them building on this success with more silverware in the future. But as Saturday's final showed, the Premiership boasts an unrivalled competitiveness. What an incredible way to finish the most brilliant of seasons.