For Exeter, who finished ninth in the Prem last season, a Twickenham return represents their first final since 2021 when they were beaten by Harlequins.
That game ended the club’s first great period of dominance having reached six successive finals, winning two of them.
Since then the Chiefs have had three consecutive seventh-placed finishes before last season’s troubles and their third-placed finish this time.
Northampton last won the title two years ago when Alex Mitchell’s late try secured a 25-21 win over Bath.
It was their second title, adding to arguably the most dramatic final win in history when Alex Waller’s try in the last minute of extra time – after four minutes of television replay scrutiny – sealed a 24-20 win over Saracens in 2014.
“They’ve got a power game,” Northampton director of rugby Phil Dowson said of Exeter to BBC Radio Northampton.
“They’ve got some great players like Skinner and Slade to move the ball as well and I like Varney at nine – he challenges the fringes like our nines do so they’re a handful.”
Exeter’s director of rugby Rob Baxter urged his side to stay on the front foot.
“Obviously every team is dangerous with quick ball, but Northampton are probably the most dangerous,” Baxter told BBC Sport.
“So what have we got to do? We’ve got to fight in all areas, we can’t give up the ball too much. We can’t try and let the game be about Northampton’s attack against our defence because if it gets to that stage you’re probably losing it.
“The way you nullify their attack is them not having the ball, so there’s going to be some elements of us making sure we attack with quality, because any time we’re attacking with quality they aren’t.”
Northampton: Furbank (capt); Freeman, Litchfield, Hutchinson, Hendy; Smith, McParland; Iyogun, Langdon, Millar Mills, Coles, Prowse, Kemeny, Pearson, Pollock.
Replacements: Wright, Fischetti, Green, Van Der Mescht, Lockett, Chick, Mitchell, Dingwall.
Exeter: Woodburn; Feyi-Waboso, Slade, Ikitau, Ridl; Skinner, Varney; Sio, Norey, Iosefa-Scott, Jenkins (capt), Zambonin, Hooper, Roots, Fisilau.
Replacements: Dweba, Burger, Tchumbadze, Tshiunza, Vintcent, James, Cairns, Haydon-Wood.
Referee: Matthew Carley.
