From the Daily Telegraph.
15. Charles Piutau (Bristol)
Possibly the easiest selection of the lot. Piutau tops the charts in the backs for carries, defenders beaten, metres and offloads. Absolutely superb to watch. Rarely does the first tackler get him, and he seems to be able to move sideways and not lose his velocity. He does all the safe stuff, is happy to carry in traffic and creates so much space for others just by being in the vicinity of the ball, such is his fear factor.
14. Zach Kibirige (Wasps) and 11. Louis Rees-Zammit (Gloucester)
Rarely has a top try scorer missed out on a wing spot, but while my call is harsh on Ollie Thorley, the four tries he scored in one game against a woeful Tigers 2nd XV skewed it a little. Thorley is a beast of a wing and a tough defender so it was tricky to leave him out. Luke Morahan seems to play every minute for Bristol and knows his way to the try line. Tom O’Flaherty beats defences and defenders for fun and has serious wheels. Taqele Naiyaravoro was a handful pre-lockdown but has been anonymous post-restart. Semesa Rokoduguni is back in great form at Bath. But for sheer razzle-dazzle I have gone for the dancing feet of these two fellas. LRZ is the fastest thing I have seen in the Premiership, ever. Lightning fast. Kibirige, while quick, specialises in twinkle toes in confined spaces. I may be a little light in terms of bulk on the wings, but I have gone for jet shoes.
13. Ollie Lawrence (Worcester)
Piers O’Conor is a rarely-mentioned player, but Pat Lam loves what he brings to his Bristol side and he rarely misses a match. Ian Whitten is always strong for Exeter but moves about so much that it is hard to pin him down to one slot. Chris Harris has been growing on me as a player since his move to Gloucester. Then there is Lawrence at Worcester, the lowest club represented in my team. He is the player with the least number of minutes to work his way into this team. On the back foot regularly in the Worcester midfield, he single-handedly takes on top-class defensive units and scares the living daylights out of them. Great feet when he needs to and with a powerful fend, it is his angles of running and total commitment to winning the gain line that sees him as the standout 13. There could be an argument to put Sam James at 13 and play Malakai Fekitoa or Rohan Janse van Rensburg at 12 but I am keen to see James and Lawrence in the same midfield.
12. Sam James (Sale)
The pre-lockdown form of Rory Hutchinson was special at Northampton. Janse van Rensburg only goes forward in the same side as James. Fekitoa has been big for Wasps in their charge up the table. Billy Twelvetrees has had one of his best seasons, pulling the strings in Gloucester’s midfield. Terrence Hepetema is keen to play at Irish. But I rarely see James have a bad game. He plays at 12 or 13, as most centres do now, and while I am happy to have him do some hard yards carrying, what I really enjoy watching is when he is close to the ball, close to his 10, because he sees the game so early. He has a great skill set, and is probably quicker than he looks but makes up for it with his nous. Cameron Redpath will be my prediction to wear the 12 jersey in this team next year.
10. Callum Sheedy (Bristol)
It may be my harshest call of the whole team. It feels mean to keep out Joe Simmonds of Exeter but there is always a caveat with them - such is the quality and depth of the squad, they can chop and change without any dip in quality, which means many of their top players don’t play quite as much as they would at other clubs. It is why Exeter only end up with three players in my team of the season and yet they have been miles better than anyone. Jacob Umaga has been sensational for two months at Wasps and Rhys Priestland quietly ticks away, accumulating points and playing a steady hand at Bath. But I love watching Sheedy play. Socks down, he is occasionally a little loose, but Bristol want to play an all-court game and as a result, their fly-half isn’t allowed to blink or dither. Sheedy is happy with the captain’s armband. He smashes his goals over and throws himself in front of people.
9. Dan Robson (Wasps)
With honourable mentions for Andy Uren of Bristol and Joe Simpson of Gloucester, this is a two-horse race between Ben Spencer and Robson. Spencer has been in unbelievable form for Bath as the run-in has played out. He does everything: pass, kick, tackle, score tries, boss the game. An absolute joy to watch. But over the course of the 22 games, I will go with the metronomic excellence of Robson. The young back line at Wasps and their fiery back row have been marshalled and released and cajoled by Robson’s delicate touch, and with a beaming smile on his face the whole time.
1. Jake Woolmore (Bristol)
Beno Obano has come with a charge post-Covid as Bath’s front five have been epic. Richard Barrington has scored four tries for Saracens from loose head, double the amount of any prop, and I'm a big fan of the lump that is Coenie Oosthuizen at Sale. But Woolmore has over 1,000 minutes in a very tidy Bristol outfit, and 1,000 minutes of putting his shoulder to the wheel. Durable, defensively very sound and loves to get his hands on the ball, even if he gives the impression he only likes dark spaces.
2. Tom Dunn (Bath)
Luke Cowan-Dickie’s recent form has been sensational but Dunn has played twice as many times as Luke and has been at the heart of Bath’s outstanding season. Dunn is a menace: unbelievably competitive over every 50-50 ball, there is a real edge to him on the fringes and he is happy to do the unseen ground work. Dunn has useful space appreciation as well. Honourable mentions to Mike Haywood, who has gone well in a duffed-up Saints team, and Akker van der Merwe, who is an absolute rogue for Sale but the lineout stats hurt him.
3. Will Stuart (Bath)
A few to mention here. Dan Cole has been imperious in the set-piece for Leicester but cannot match the young guns in the loose. Harry Williams flies around clattering people and handling, and will consider himself unlucky if he misses England squad selection in the autumn. Fraser Balmain has hardly missed a game for Gloucester and loves the loose. Kieran Brookes has had his best shift for Wasps. But I have found myself drawn to the combo of Dunn and Stuart. Being on the fringes of England squads has helped them develop as players. This pair have been the blunt weapon at the front for Bath, travelling around like brothers, going after packs.
4. Jonny Hill (Exeter) and 5. Chris Vui (Bristol)
Charlie Ewels has led Bath on a charge at the back end of the season - his England experiences and his developing leadership skills have made him a stand-out performer. Graham Kitchener and Matt Symons at Worcester and Quins respectively graft so hard for their teams every week, while Stephan Lewies has really delivered for Quins post-lockdown. Will Rowlands has a pretty tidy argument to force his way in from Wasps, Nick Isiekwe is growing in stature but Northampton’s woeful post-lockdown form hasn’t given him the springboard he may have hoped for when joining them from Saracens. Harry Wells has been a consistent performer for Leicester. Jean-Luc Du Preez never shirks his responsibilities at Sale. But the reality has Hill and Vui miles out in front. Vui has been out there more than anyone and Hill has made a dent in try-scoring charts, with eight. As a pair, they come first and second on line-out wins.
6. Jannes Kirsten (Exeter)
Impossible to trim the shortlist in the back row. At 6, Ted Hill is absolute class for Worcester. Steven Luatua for Bristol has so much ability. Dave Ewers is always fabulous for Exeter as well. Kirsten, though, might be in my shortlist for player of the season. He is an absolute beast for Exeter. Occasionally plays in the engine room but I love him at 6. Every week he clatters things in defence, carries so hard and wins the contact every time. Accurate at breakdowns, a great line-out option, soft hands - what's not to like?
7. Jack Willis (Wasps)
Both Curry boys throw their hats in at Sale, and it is tough on Ben Earl to leave him out despite his 10 tries. Jacques Vermeulen of Exeter is as consistent as Kirsten, while Lewis Ludlow is top of the line-out steals at 7. Then there is Dan Thomas, one of my favourite players in the Premiership from Bristol, who has such a low error count and is never far from ball or turnover opportunities. But when Jack has twice as many turnovers as his nearest competitor, it makes the selection a simple one in amongst some great players.
8. Sam Simmonds (Exeter)
A couple of lads from teams in the bottom half of the table were outstanding. Alex Dombrandt loves a gain line, and is desperate for international recognition, while Albert Tuisue has been huge for London Irish - in a beaten team most weeks he never goes backwards. Jono Ross hardly misses a minute for Sale, Jake Polledri smashes through walls for Gloucester and has been outstanding post lockdown, Ben Earl hardly put a foot wrong and Nathan Hughes tops the carries list. But Simmonds is utterly lethal for Exeter. Ten tries in the bank and a regular at the top of the charts for carries, metres made, defenders beaten, clean breaks.
Topic: 3 Wasps in Will Greenwood's Gallagher team of the season. (Read 1706 times)
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