Sam’s only Esher man to make the cut
BEN JAYCOCK canvassed the views of the National Two South directors of rugby, head coaches and reporters to compile The Rugby Paper’s 2021-22 Team of the Season
Under the guidance of former England flanker Peter Winterbottom, Esher won the league and gain promotion back to National One after three years in the fourth tier. However they have just one player in this season’s Dream Team – top points scorer Sam Morley.
The fact Esher fail to dominate the lineup is testament to how competitive National Two South has been this season and shows the high-quality calibre of players in the league.
As expected, the top five teams all have inclusions, but it was third place Clifton who have the most selections with five. Leicester Lions and Redruth both have three, Worthing have two, while 12th place Canterbury have one and are the only side outside the top five to be included.
After National Two South’s two-season hiatus, no players from the 2018/19 Dream Team return for this year’s edition.
15. Alex Wilcockson (Leicester Lions)
A devastating finisher and accomplished defender. The former England Students’ representative is an elusive fullback. The joint third highest try scorer in the league with 17 and a big reason behind the Lions finishing fifth. Wilcockson was pushed all the way by Bury St Edmunds’ formidable goal kicker Charlie Reed but just edged the voting.
14. Matthew McLean (Worthing)
A consistent performer with a great kicking record. The utility back is one of the most accurate goal kickers in the league and was the second highest points scorer behind Morley. The former Wales 7s player scored 15 tries and held off stiff competition from Dan Rowland (Esher), Ciaran Leeson (Bury St Edmunds) and Anthony Armstrong
(Guernsey).
13. Jack Forrest (Worthing)
Forrest just edged out the always threatening Marcus Nel of Clifton by one vote, but the finishing prowess of the centre/fly-half edged the contest. The Worthing back finished alongside McLean with 15 tries and was Worthing’s creative spark that could create magic out of nothing.
12. Kyan Braithwaite (Canterbury)
Braithwaite was a shining star in a difficult season for Canterbury and is the sort of player who can step you in a phone box. It ultimately ended in an underwhelming campaign for the south-east side, but Braithwaite impressed with his accurate goal kicking and dotted down for six tries. He was pushed for a place in the Dream Team by the likes of Pete Weightman (Barnes), Sam Sterling (Canterbury) and Harrison Sims (Worthing).
11. Finlay Sharp (Clifton)
It should come as no surprise that the league’s top try scorer comfortably secured his inclusion. A devastating finisher with pace to burn, Sharp showcased his class with a whopping 22 tries in 28 games. Despite Sharp attaining the vast majority of the votes, Henley’s talented winger Reuben Norville was unfortunate to miss out.
10. Sam Morley (Esher)
The top points scorer with an incredible 310 this season, 33 more than second place McLean. Morley proved to be the talisman Esher needed to secure the title. The former England U20s and Exeter Chiefs fly-half is sure to thrive in National One next season. However, Redruth’s Fraser Honey narrowly missed out on the 10 jersey, only losing out by two votes.
9. Jack Oulton (Redruth)
Reads the game so well. Tactically astute, strong and aggressive, with a great kicking game. Oulton breezed to the nine jersey, attaining 70 per cent of the votes after scoring an impressive 15
tries and was a key man for Nigel Hambly’s side this season. Other nominees included Josh Davies (Barnes) and Pierre Thompson (Esher).
8. Shaun Buzza (Redruth)
The powerful No.8 is a strong ball carrier that leads a powerful Redruth pack.
Buzza was a prolific try scorer towards the end of the season as well, scoring ten tries in his last nine games. He faced stiff competition for the jersey from Esher’s Harvey Scott but held on by just one vote.
7. John Murdoch (Leicester Lions)
An incredible chop tackler who gets through a mountain of work. Murdoch enjoyed a sensational season and was a clear winner in the openside position. He’s one of the best lineout operators in the league and was an ever present playing in all 30 games this season.
Murdoch was a clear winner but Henley openside Tom Hall deserves a mention for his work over the ball and support play.
6. Bradley Talbot (Clifton)
A powerful man with an astonishing try scoring record for a flanker with 16. The physical and confrontational back rower is almost impossible to stop from close range. Simon Johnson (Leicester Lions) and Liam Perkins (Worthing) also deserve praise for their standout seasons.
5. Joe Owen (Clifton)
Bristol-bound Owen is an extremely athletic lock who loves to take on defenders in wide channels, makes so many line breaks for a second row and is a great lineout option. Clifton will be sad to see him go. He faced competition from Todd Prisk (Redruth) and Ryan Seabright (Barnes).
4. Henry Harper (Clifton)
Harper and Owen complete a formidable second row partnership, with the former also a
useful lineout option and excellent in the loose. Harper chipped in with seven tries this season – including an emphatic brace in the victory over Canterbury last month. An honourable mention goes to title winning Esher captain Adam Bullett.
3. Alex Giltrow (Clifton)
Giltrow proved he is the best tighthead at this level. A consistently good scrummager who isn’t just a one trick pony and can be described as a modernday prop due to his superb handling ability in the loose. Esher’s big try-scoring prop Theo Skoumbourdis has been the cornerstone of a strong pack, but Giltrow took the three jersey by one vote.
2. Richard Brown (Redruth)
A virtually unanimous decision to include the free-scoring hooker, who scored an incredible 17 tries. A player who benefited from Redruth’s powerful driving maul but is also someone who does a lot of hard unseen work as well and played in every game this season. Also impressive was Tom Anderson (Dings Crusaders) – who also scored 17 tries.
1. Will Roberts (Leicester Lions)
Lions had one of the best home records in the division and a lot was down to the defensive and scrummaging work of Roberts. The former England Counties U20s prop has an excellent work rate and regularly plays the full 80. Seasoned competitor Ricky Cano (Clifton) pushed him close.