Chiefs claim top spot in top team
Nick Cain picks his team of the season from the Premiership
THE Premiership has a legitimate claim to being the most competitive league in the game world wide, with 11 of the 12 clubs in it capable of beating anyone on their day.
However, this was not a vintage season for England at international level, or for the Premiership clubs in Europe. Saracens were the only English side to reach the last eight in the European Cup before being knocked-out by eventual champions Leinster – and that is bound to raise questions about the quality of the league however close-fought and entertaining the matches.
That is difficult to quantify – especially in the aftermath of a Lions tour – but great credit goes to Exeter, who, despite a disappointing European campaign, were clear leaders at the end of the regular season.
The Chiefs finished eight points – or two league wins – ahead of their nearest rivals, Saracens, although the north London outfit found form and momentum in the home straight to confront them in the Premiership final. This gave Saracens the opportunity to regain the title Exeter took off them last season.
This Premiership Team of the Season reflects Exeter’s dominance for the second campaign in succession, earning them five places in the starting pack, and one on the bench.
Chiefs fly-half find Joe Simmonds, centre Henry Slade and winger Ollie Woodburn were also in the running in a battle for places that mirrored the competitiveness of the league.
Others unlucky to miss out, often because of injuries, included the extraordinary Schalk Brits at the veteran end, and opensides Tom Curry (Sale) and Sam Underhill (Bath) of the youth brigade.
Elsewhere Wasps were rewarded for being the most entertaining and effervescent attacking side with Danny Cipriani and Willie Le Roux included.
Newcastle’s try ace Vereniki Goneva, Sale dynamo Faf de Klerk, and Gloucester comeback kid Henry Trinder provide the finishing touches to an all-star Premiership team which would soon have the fans on their feet.
1. Mako Vunipola (Saracens)
Although the Lions tour left him short of fuel at the start of the season his durability is extraordinary. The bulldozing energy returned steadily and despite the early season dip his workrate was still huge compared to other loose- heads – and he finished the campaign with a real head of steam.
2. Luke Cowan-Dickie (Exeter)
A bull of a carrier who makes more hard yards than any hooker in the competition. A strong scrummager, and a good footballer – and also signs that he is becoming a more consistently accurate thrower. If he can make his line-out technique failsafe under pressure he will challenge Jamie George for the England shirt.
3. Tomas Francis (Exeter)
The heavyweight Yorkshireborn Wales tight-head is the breezeblock on which the Chiefs scrum is built and he brings big ballast to their trademark pickand-drive siege machine. Gets into the starting line-up ahead of his Chiefs rival Harry Williams due to greater gametime and better ball retention in contact.
4. Ed Slater (Gloucester)
Not difficult to see why the rugged lock was given the captaincy by coach Johan Ackermann after Willie Heinz was injured. He brought muchneeded grit to the Gloucester pack, and is getting back to his hard-yards best after a series of knee injuries. Keeps Calum Green and Maro Itoje – who had a slow start to the season – out of the starting 15.
5. Jonny Hill (Exeter)
The 23-year-old has made great headway this season, winning more line-outs (103) than any other lock in the Premiership, and richly deserved his place in the England tour squad to South Africa. At 6ft 7ins Hill has genuine physical presence but also athleticism, including the spring to get off the ground with minimum support. A real find.
6. Don Armand (Exeter)
All-round momentum man. Brings great drive in the loose, one of the best line-out jumpers in the English game, and what a worker. Difficult to believe that he missed out on England selection given the sheer consistency and quality he gives the Chiefs. Often picked at 7, but a natural blindside. Jamie Gibson next in line.
7. Thomas Young (Wasps)
One of the best attacking No.7s in Europe, and Wales being spoilt for choice at openside should not mask that. Probably quicker than all his Welsh rivals, he hits the ball with an injection of pace which is often irresistible and his linking for Wasps has been a core component in their often devastating counter-attacking.
8. Sam Simmonds (Exeter)
Has the build and speed of an openside but sky-rocketed into the Chiefs starting line-up this season as a pocket-battleship No.8, and then made his England debut in the autumn against Samoa. Faster than most centres with great acceler- ation and footwork, he is a lethal finisher, scoring 12 tries for his club this campaign as well as two against Italy.
9. Faf de Klerk (Sale)
A stocky non-stop dynamo of a scrum-half who is deceptively powerful. Sale proved a handful in attack in the second-half of the season with the South African No.9 driving them on with his speed around the fringes, ability to link with his loose forwards, and accurate box-kicking. Pushed hard by Dan Robson and Willie Heinz.
10. Danny Cipriani (Wasps)
Magical touches in attack were his trademark, and they set him apart as the most creative flyhalf not just in the English league, but arguably in Europe. His ability to make the killer pass so late with exquisite timing, and the range and accuracy of his passing was a joy. He also showed that he is no longer a speed bump in defence, tackling tenaciously.
11. Vereniki Goneva (Newcastle)
The powerful Fijian has demonstrated world-class finishing this season, scoring 13 tries in the league to share the Top Try Scorer award with Worcester’s Josh Adams. The evergreen Goneva, still in peak condition at 34, has flourished on Tyneside and played an important role in the Falcons making the Premiership semi-finals for the first time.
12. Matt Toomua (Leicester)
The Wallaby playmaker had a big hand in stopping a slide that at one stage saw the Tigers slipping into the nether regions of the table. Although he was at his most commanding in rallying Leicester from fly-half in George Ford’s absence, his tough-tackling and tactical acumen were also critical at inside-centre. Pipped the super-consistent Brad Barritt.
13. Henry Trinder (Gloucester)
There is a buzz of anticipation at Kingsholm every time he gets the ball because of his flashing footwork and swashbuckling instincts. After being hobbled by injuries for the best part of three seasons Trinder was an inspirational force in a side that is, like him, beginning to find its feet again. Steals in ahead of Alex Lozowski and Henry Slade.
14. Willie Le Roux (Wasps)
His sense of adventure and brilliant running and off-loading for 21 try-assists made him hugely influential in the Wasps counterattack. The South African has flair to spare, and his ability to take the high ball on the run and instinctively identify the cracks in the opposition defence and exploit them was almost uncanny. Equally dangerous on the wing and at full-back.
15. Alex Goode (Saracens)
When it comes to weaving through a packed defence nobody does it quite like the Saracens full-back, and the frequency with which he finds gaps and exploits them is why he topped the Premiership Metres Gained chart by a clear margin (1,845). His ability to return the ball with interest underpins the Saracens attack.
Replacements
16. Tom Dunn (Bath) 17. Ellis Genge (Leicester) 18. Harry Williams (Exeter) 19. Calum Green (Newcastle) 20. Jamie Gibson (Northampton) 21. Dan Robson (Wasps) 22. Owen Farrell (Saracens) 23. Christian Wade (Wasps)
THE front row of explosive Leicester loose-head Genge, heavy-hitting Bath hooker Dunn, and Williams, a tight-ahead with an unrivalled engine, provides plenty of clout.
Newcastle lock Green has been a hard-grafting model of consistency for two seasons, while Gibson has been a terror at blindside for a struggling Northampton side.
His tenacity at the breakdown, resulting in a tally of 19 turnovers, put the brakes on Saints’ slide. The backline bench has star quality written all over it with Robson’s eye for the gap unrivalled, and Farrell’s all-court game an indispensable asset to any team at any stage.
Wade’s electric pace and agility is impact incarnate, and has been overlooked for too long by England.