The best XV from National One as picked by TRP correspondents
H ARTPURY College became the first team in history to win 30 from 30 in National League One as the West Country side took the league by storm.
With Hartpury earning 28 try-scoring bonus points – equalling Ealing’s 2014-15 record – in a season where they notched almost 500 points more than the next-highest scorers, it is no surprise they dominate our National One Dream Team.
Twelve months after losing a promotion battle with Richmond, the league winners contribute five players to our star XV ahead of tackling the Championship for the first time in their history.
Plymouth Albion racked up 24 league wins and built a points tally normally big enough to win promotion, so contribute four individuals to the Dream Team. Coventry and Rosslyn Park have two nods apiece, while Blackheath and Birmingham Moseley each have one. 15. Matt Shepherd - Plymouth Albion All good sides need someone they can trust at the back – a rock in defence and potent in attack. Matt Shepherd enjoyed a superb season and was a constant danger with the ball in hand. Also able to operate at scrum-half, Shepherd’s quick-thinking and intelligent play helped his side secure a second-placed finish and edged out Old Albanian’s England U20 star Max Malins and Ampthill’s Karim Lynch for the No.15 jersey. 14. Leo Fielding - Blackheath Pacy winger Leo Fielding showcased his lethal finishing ability all season, despite Blackheath disappointingly falling away in the second half of the campaign. But it was Fielding’s goalkicking that earned him the nod over his rivals as he twice denied Hull Ionians with late, long-range penalties and racked up 194 points in total. 13. Steve Leonard - Hartpury College The opposition found Hartpury centre partnership of Steve Leonard and Luke Eves unplayable at times, and our 12-13 axis has been picked as much on combined chemistry as individual brilliance. The duo had the perfect mixtures of power, pace, flair and guile, with Leonard’s clever running lines and mean defence a huge factor in Hartpury’s dominant year. 12. Luke Eves Hartpury College Inside centre Eves demonstrated his nose for the line as he scored 19 league tries in all and he combined effortlessly with Leonard to unlock defence after defence. Coventry’s Heath Stevens and Loughborough Students’ Gair Currie also impressed – with the latter seemingly destined to play at a higher level. 11. Jonas Mikalcius Hartpury College It takes a special player to notch up 36 tries in just 30 games but Lithuanian scoring machine Jonas Mikalcius managed that staggering feat. Harlequins-bound Mikalcius was a constant threat and clearly has an eye for the line but the former national swimming champion has plenty of other weaponry in his locker, including searing pace and a powerful fend. 10. Harry Leonard - Rosslyn Park Scotsman Harry Leonard spent his first season in National One after signing from Yorkshire Carnegie last year and promptly became the division’s top scorer – with 263 points. But it’s not just Leonard’s boot that won him a place in our Dream Team, the Rosslyn Park star’s game-management and ability to create space using
his strike runners helped his side to a top-half finish. The ever-improving Will Maisey (Coventry) and Greg Smith at Fylde came close. 9. Harry Randall - Hartpury College Harry Randall was pretty much a unanimous choice for our scrum-half with his lightning-fast feet and superb control of the Hartpury pack making him the stand-out No.9. As well as being a member of a title-winning outfit, the former Wales U18 player also featured for England in their U20 Six Nations Grand Slam campaign and looks the real deal. 1. Jimmy Litchfield - Coventry Jimmy Litchfield has been a Coventry stalwart this season, regularly putting in a lengthy shift as Cov secured 20 league victories and 101 league points. The ex-London Scottish and London Welsh loosehead was a real asset at scrum-time but it was his leadership and ability to make an impact in the loose that got him the nod ahead of Tom Fidler at Birmingham Moseley and Macclesfield’s Tom Mantell. 2. Tom Cowan-Dickie Plymouth Albion Tom Cowan-Dickie has been one of the most consistent performers in National One – a powerhouse in the thick of the Plymouth scrum. Although many may associate the surname with younger brother Luke of Exeter Chiefs, Tom has also made quite a name for himself with his consistent lineout throwing helping squeeze many a team into submission. He fought off fierce competition from Ampthill’s Tongan star Aleki Lutui here. 3. Phil Boulton Coventry Skipper Phil Boulton is the second Coventry front rower in our XV as he proved himself a rock in the scrum and a menace with ball in hand. Boulton’s leadership qualities are what narrowly stood him apart from other tightheads such as Macc’s Billy Robinson and Dan Pullinger at Plymouth after arriving from Bedford Blues last summer. 4. Nile Dacres - Plymouth Albion Tall and athletic second rowers are all the rage in the modern game and Plymouth Albion’s Nile Dacres fits the mould perfectly. Dacres’ excellent work in the lineout as well as his ability to offer himself as a ball carrier time and again was invaluable, and the Coventry-bound lock deservedly earned a first England Counties cap this term. 5. Ed Milne - Rosslyn Park One of Ampthill’s Tongan contingent, Paino Hehea, and Chris Wearmouth – who dominated in a struggling Blaydon side – could have made our second row but Rosslyn Park’s Ed Milne had another outstanding season in National One. Having spent time at Coventry in the past, Milne’s experience of the league was plain to see and, much like Dacres, his carrying and power in the scrum were priceless. 6. Jake Polledri - Hartpury College The best blindside flankers are unbeatable in defence, provide power in the scrum and have bit of X-factor with the ball – all of which apply to Jake Polledri. The former Italy U20 international stood head and shoulders above the rest of the No.6s – although Simon Uzokwe at Darlington Mowden Park was also a machine – as his carrying, ability to offload out of the tackle and 16 league tries drew plenty of praise. 7. Jack Preece Birmingham Moseley Another Coventry-bound forward to make our Dream Team, Birmingham Moseley’s Jack Preece plays a lot like Justin Tipuric – scavenging, tackling and stealing for 80 minutes. Preece established himself as a turnover specialist this season with unbelievable work-rate at the breakdown but his is his neat handling that sets him apart. 8. Herbie Stupple Plymouth Albion Perhaps the toughest selection of all in our XV, Herbie Stupple was one of the most consistent performers in the league this year. As a powerful ball carrier from the base of the scrum, Stupple repeatedly helped Plymouth over the gain line in tough situations and controlled the pick and go nicely in the red zone. Game-breaking Macclesfield No.8 Ryan Parkinson, Fylde talisman David Fairbrother and Old Albanian skipper Billy Johnson also received consideration.