Exeter Chiefs will host Northampton Saints and Saracens are to face Gloucester in the Premiership play-off semi-finals after a chaotic final day of the regular season.

The two matches will be played back-to-back on 25 May, with live text and radio commentary of both on the BBC Sport website and app.

For long periods on Saturday, however, it was far from clear who would be battling it out for a spot at Twickenham.

Going into the final round of fixtures just one point separated fourth-placed Northampton and fifth-placed Harlequins, with the final play-off berth still very much up for grabs.

The fight for European Champions Cup rugby was just as intense and every bit as complicated, as Bath, Sale Sharks, Wasps and Bristol Bears all remained in with a shout of sneaking sixth.

Ultimately, the battle for both positions went down to the very last play...

The scrap to reach the play-offs

There was still one play-off place to be decided going into the final afternoon and two contenders in the frame - Northampton and Harlequins.

Quins had resided in the top four for the majority of the season before a slump in form in the closing weeks had allowed Northampton to leapfrog them.

Saints held a one-point advantage as they travelled to leaders Exeter on a run of three consecutive wins. Quins, on the other hand, had won just once in their past six Premiership matches and were on a run of three defeats on the road.

Meanwhile, Paul Gustard's side travelled to Wasps, themselves still with an outside chance of reaching the top six, knowing they would need to better Northampton's result.

Saints looked to be causing an upset when they took an early lead at Exeter and were level at 21-21 going into half-time, but last season's runners-up showed their class after the break and eventually ran in six tries to win 40-21.

That win guaranteed Exeter top spot, with holders Saracens going down 31-29 at Worcester.

Meanwhile, things weren't going to plan for Harlequins for the most part as Wasps' three tries gave them a 16-point lead early in the second half.

But Quins kept fighting with three of their own and, with four minutes to play, clawed it back to 27-25. And then came the drama...

Right on the halfway line, Harlequins were awarded a penalty with a minute to play and replacement fly-half James Lang chose to back himself to kick the three points to snatch the win and fourth place.

But Lang's effort dropped narrowly under the crossbar and most of Northampton breathed a sigh of relief. Quins' players were left stunned at full-time.

The battle to finish sixth

The play-off race wasn't the only dramatic plot playing out on Saturday.

A final European Champions Cup place was up for grabs and, even heading into the second half, all four sides were in with a chance of claiming it.

Bath were the team in possession before the games kicked-off and they travelled to old rivals Leicester Tigers looking for a first successive Premiership win since December.

A point behind them in seventh were Sale Sharks, who hosted play-off-bound Gloucester and knew they needed Bath to trip up.

Should both those sides lose, Wasps and Bristol Bears - level on points in eighth and ninth respectively - could have gate crashed with wins in their fixtures against Harlequins and Newcastle Falcons.

As mentioned, Wasps did their bit and Bristol followed suit at relegated Newcastle, but only three tries for the Bears meant they missed out on the full five points they needed.

And so down it came effectively to a straight shootout between Sale and Bath.

Steve Diamond's side eventually edged a topsy-turvy encounter against Gloucester 46-41 that featured a total of 13 tries.

With the Sharks match finishing just ahead of Bath's at Welford Road, they had completed their requirements to bag sixth place. But cue yet more late drama...

Bath had at one stage trailed Leicester by 14 points in the first half, but restricted Tigers to just five more points in the second period.

With two minutes to play, the Blue, Black and Whites needed a fourth converted try and the win to come away with the crucial five points that would edge them ahead of Sale.

Step forward replacement prop Jacques van Rooyen, who touched down to leave Rhys Priestland with an opportunity to kick the match-winning conversion.

The Wales back duly obliged and then from the restart booted the ball into touch to signal full-time and book Bath's Champions Cup place for next season.

BOWMANVILLE, Ontario – It wasn’t until Saturday at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park that Jeff Kingsley was able to stand on the podium at a Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge Canada by Yokohama event.

However, after his performance in the 2019 season opener, Kingsley may very well get comfortable there, especially on the top step.

Starting from the pole position, Kingsley in the No. 16 Policaro Motorsport Porsche 911 GT3 Cup Car led flag-to-flag to claim his first career victory in GT3 Cup Challenge Canada competition.

The Ontario native is pulling double duty this year between GT3 Cup Challenge Canada and its USA counterpart – Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge USA by Yokohama – but had previously only scored a best finish of fourth in both series.

Saturday’s breakthrough for his first pole in qualifying and first win in the 45-minute race proved Kingsley will be one to watch in both Platinum classes throughout the season.

His first career victory didn’t come without pressure though. For the final 10 minutes of the race, Kingsley fended off the looming No. 3 SCB Racing Porsche of Parker Thompson, who ultimately finished runner-up by 1.104 seconds.

If there was anyone who could take the lead from Kingsley, it would be his GT3 Cup Challenge USA teammate Thompson, who owns a victory already this year in GT3 Cup Challenge USA.

“We got a good start today, got the big jump and I think we were about 2 ½ seconds clear, then with some lapped traffic, he started to close the gap,” said Kingsley. “Towards the end, he was really putting the pressure down. We’re teammates down in The States so we know each other a little bit, but he stayed clean and so did I and ultimately came away with a win.

“It was a lot of pressure, mentally and physically, I’m exhausted right now, so I’m looking forward to celebrating this one with the guys and the Policaro Motorsport/Porsche Centre Oakville/Liqui Moly car was unbelievable today and I hope for the same tomorrow.”

Finishing third and capturing the first Platinum Masters win of the season was Marco Cirone in the No. 88 Mark Motors Racing Porsche. As Kingsley and Thompson battled, Cirone was able to close in, but not quite enough to join in.

Cirone crossed the stripe 1.934 seconds behind Kingsley.

“I was trying my hardest, I was doing everything I possibly could to not make a mistake,” said Cirone. “But the kids in front of me, Parker Thompson and Jeff Kingsley, they were just driving practically mistake-free. I got on the radio with my crew chief and we were running very similar times, so I tried to stay as close as I could but unfortunately, they didn’t make any mistakes and I couldn’t make up any ground. They drove brilliantly and I’m just glad to make it to third place.

“It’s a fantastic feeling, especially for me because I missed last year. I just did a couple races in Gold, so I’m really happy. Thank you to Mark Motors and Lisa Mrak, Michael Mrak for bringing me back for the whole season. I’m really proud to bring home a third place and a win in Masters today.”

Cirone’s teammate, Roman De Angelis in the No. 79 Porsche, scored the Yokohama Tire Hard Charger Award for gaining the most positions in the race.

Starting 14th on the grid, De Angelis moved up 10 spots to fourth, salvaging a good points day for the team.

“It took me a really long time to get by some guys as I didn’t want to do anything to my car to lose some points, but I finally got by,” said De Angelis, who is also competing in GT3 Cup Challenge USA with three wins in four rounds. “We had pretty incredible pace considering the car’s a bit damaged and the tires are gone. But yeah, I would’ve liked to have had a better qualifying so I could’ve challenged for the win because I think we had the car to do it, but tomorrow’s another day.”

In his debut at his home track, Sam Fellows – son of sports car legend Ron Fellows – won his first GT3 Cup Challenge Canada race in the Gold class in the No. 35 Pfaff Motorsports Porsche.

KNOXVILLE, Iowa – The Knoxville Raceway Hall of Fame Class of 2019 inductees have been announced by Knoxville’s Hall of Fame Committee

Those being inducted at our ceremonies to be held on June 22 will be Perry Bell, Doug Brown, Jake Peters and Gary “Wally” Price.

This year marks the 41st class of inductees. The Knoxville Raceway Hall of Fame was established in 1979 and there are currently 199 inductees. Below is more info on each of the inductees:

Perry Bell (Media) Knoxville, Iowa:
Bell is a legend in the Knoxville community. A Knoxville High School and Central College alumnus, he began his career as a writer in 1981 for the Knoxville Journal-Express. On top of his dedication to covering sports for six high schools and Central College, he has spent 38 years covering events at Knoxville Raceway. Bell also operated the Dirt Digest Paper from 1986-1992. He was awarded the Distinguished Service Award by the Iowa Newspaper Ass’n earlier this year.

James “Doug” Brown (Supplier/Owner) Des Moines, Iowa:
In the early 1980’s Brown became involved with his own company, Jocko’s Auto Parts, with stores in Des Moines and Newton. His company began selling parts to local racers and later evolved to Jocko’s Sprint Parts. He became a car owner and supplied the car for Dennis Moore Jr., who would drive their car to victory in the 360 Knoxville Nationals in 2003. The Jocko’s sprint parts trailer can be found in our infield still today.

Jake Peters (Driver) Sioux Falls, S.D.:
Peters had a successful driving career winning three 360 Championships (2004-2005-2006) at Knoxville along with ten 360 feature wins. He also won multiple track championships at Huset’s Speedway. Over 100 sprint car wins over a span of 20 years of competing in seven different states.

Gary “Wally” Price (Track Official) Newton, Iowa:
Starting as a race fan in the early 1970’s, Price was asked one night in 1978 to drive a pace vehicle. That first night he drove his own 1972 Chevelle and has since been behind the wheel of the Knoxville Raceway pace vehicle for 42 seasons. His dedication and help with numerous other duties on race day are immeasurable.

The annual induction banquet will be held at Noon on June 22 in Dyer-Hudson Hall for all current Hall of Fame members and guests, with a picnic style lunch served at a cost of $5 per person. Call the ticket office to order tickets at 641-842-5431.

TOLEDO, Ohio – Michael Self stormed to the pole for Sunday’s ARCA Menards Series Sioux Chief PowerPEX200 presented by Federated Car Care at Toledo Speedway during qualifying on Saturday.

Self, who won earlier in the season at Five Flags Speedway and Salem Speedway, turned a quick lap of 15.777 seconds (114.090 mph) with the No. 25 Sinclair Lubricants Toyota to earn his second career General Tire Pole Award and his first on a short track.

“This is my third career pole in something like one hundred career races,” Self joked afterwards. “We definitely can credit the driver; I am not the greatest qualifier by any means, but all the credit goes to my Venturini Motorsports guys. They bust their butts to get these cars right.

“I wasn’t comfortable here when we tested and they got to work and made the changes we needed and got us the pole.”

Chandler Smith (No. 20 Craftsman/828 Logistics Toyota) qualified second after being fastest in practice earlier in the afternoon.

Last year’s General Tire Pole Award winner at Toledo will start alongside Self on the front row after turning a lap at 15.781 seconds (114.061 mph).

Christian Eckes and the No. 15 JBL Audio Toyota gave Venturini Motorsports a top-three sweep with a lap of 15.826 seconds (113.737 mph).

Ty Gibbs qualified fourth at 15.864 seconds (113.536 mph). The grandson of NFL Hall of Fame coach and legendary NASCAR team owner Joe Gibbs has started his ARCA career with two runner-up finishes at Five Flags and Nashville and a sixth-place run at Salem.

Bret Holmes rounded out the top five at 15.873 seconds (113.400 mph), followed by teenager Corey Heim, Carson Hocevar, Travis Braden, Sam Mayer and Tanner Gray.

BUFFALO, N.Y. -- A former Ottawa Senators assistant general manager and the NHL team were sued Friday for negligence over allegations he harassed a hotel shuttle bus driver last year in Buffalo.

Also named as a defendant in the lawsuit along with Randy Lee and the Senators is a bar and grill called (716), where Lee had been a patron on the night of the incident. The suit seeks unspecified damages.

Lee had already pleaded guilty to a criminal violation stemming from the encounter with the then-19-year-old driver that occurred while he was a passenger on the shuttle bus and still working for the Senators. The driver said Lee inappropriately touched himself while making lewd comments and rubbing the driver's shoulders.

As a result, the plaintiff "was injured externally, internally and permanently in and about the head, body, limbs and nervous system so that he became and will continue to be disabled and will continue to suffer pain, discomfort, disfigurement, distress and psychological adjustment, distress and trauma," the lawsuit says.

The suit says the Senators should be found liable because the team was aware of Lee's alleged history of lewd behavior and didn't do enough to stop it. Finally, it says the owners of the sports bar and grill should share blame because employees there continued to serve drinks to Lee after he was visibly drunk.

Lee's lawyer, Paul Cambria, said in a text message Friday that he hadn't yet read the lawsuit and declined comment. An attorney for the Senators, Dennis Vacco, said the team would "vigorously fight" what he called a "frivolous" civil complaint.

There was no immediate comment from the owners of the sports bar.

The AP does not generally identify victims of a sex crime.

ST. LOUIS -- For the Blues, the final minutes of Game 4 of the Western Conference finals on Friday night had an uncomfortable similarity to the final minutes of Game 3. As the Sharks controlled play with their goalie pulled for an extra attacker, creating a parade of scoring chances, the Blues kept icing the puck as they clung to a one-goal lead.

"It's just madness. You hope for the best and try to close the door," St. Louis goalie Jordan Binnington said.

But unlike Game 3, when Logan Couture tied the score with just over a minute remaining before the Sharks won in overtime, the Blues closed out Game 4 looking calm and collected, winning 2-1 to push the series back to San Jose knotted at 2-2.

It was an impressive showing, considering how the Blues had lost the previous game -- on a missed hand-pass by Timo Meier that set up Erik Karlsson's game-winning goal, an embarrassing blown call that the NHL has acknowledged its officials missed.

The Blues said their focus tracks back to their coach, Craig Berube, laying down the law after Game 3: There would be no complaining about the missed call, not even as fuel for the next game. Let it go. Move along. Don't even think about it.

"After the game, I just came in [the dressing room] and talked. We talked about how you just gotta move on. The call, you can't change it now. It is what it is," Berube said. "I think we talked in terms of having a one-goal lead in that game. We could have closed it out, and we didn't. We let it go to overtime. The difference tonight is that we closed it out."

Center Tyler Bozak said the speech helped the Blues put Game 3 behind them quickly.

"You got big games coming up and you sit there and dwell on something in the past, it's not going to do you any good," he said. "We fought through adversity all year and we usually play our best when we have to respond from something, and again, I thought we did a really good job tonight responding."

Something else that has happened all year when adversity strikes: Binnington carries the team. He is 11-2 after losses with a 1.81 goals-against average and a .936 save percentage.

"As soon as people start doubting him, he pulls another sick performance," winger David Perron said. "We maybe relied on him a little too much the last two periods. That's something we can look at, but right now we're happy with the win and the result."

The Sharks put 30 shots on Binnington but dominated at even strength in the game, with 65 shot attempts to 25 for the Blues. That included a third period that saw them with 14 shot attempts to just one for the Blues at 5-on-5.

But the Sharks said after the game that it's not about quantity, but quality. They didn't make the goalie work enough.

"He made some good saves. We had some good chances, and we can get a little better," said captain Joe Pavelski. "If we can get him moving a little bit, some of our opportunities [might go]. But he played well, gave up one goal, and we gave up two. What are you going to do about it?"

With the win, Binnington set a franchise record for wins in a single postseason with 10 and became just the 10th rookie goalie in NHL history to reach double digits in playoff wins during a postseason year.

"That's a great honor, obviously," Binnington said. "I'm having a lot of fun back here playing with this team, and they're doing a great job. They limited chances tonight. I think we played a complete game, so I just try to do my job."