Nick Cain’s Premiership of the Year

Saracens’ exceptional European Cup double explains why they have almost half the starting line-up in my 2016-17 Team of the Season. The European Cup is the gold standard of club rugby in the Northern Hemisphere, and for any team to secure back-to-back titles is a mighty achievement that demands recognition – especially after their exceptional display to beat Clermont in an epic final in Edinburgh last weekend.
Where the European Cup is a hard, sharp knock-out competition where the best of Europe’s best battle for supremacy, the Premiership is a long haul that demands teamwork, talent, resolve and consistency over a ten month campaign. In that respect Saracens, who were also defending English champions, tick all the boxes, and an exciting table-topping Wasps side which has scored more tries in a regular-season than any other have matched them stride for stride, earning them four players in the starting 15.
Saracens 28-17 victory over Clermont made them only the fourth club in European Cup history to win consecutive titles, after Leicester, Leinster and Toulon. However, the North London club outstripped all those outstanding sides by surpassing Leinster’s unbeaten European Cup run to set a new record of 17 wins and one draw after overcoming Clermont. In the process they secured the most impressive of their 100 wins in European competition.
While Saracens’ consistency is their bedrock — with Mako Vunipola, Maro Itoje, Brad Barritt and Alex Goode all making the starting line-up for the second year in succession – it is their ability to rise to the occasion that is the true hallmark of a champion side. That they have set such a high level of attainment while so many of their key players – including the Vunipola brothers, Jamie George and Itoje – are still in their early to mid-twenties, suggests that they will be a European and domestic force for the foreseeable future.
Exeter Chiefs have earned their place at English club rugby’s top table with their impressive collective strength as demonstrated yesterday. They will feel short-changed that their only representatives here are tight-head Harry Williams and wing Olly Woodburn, but while Don Armand came close at blindside he had huge competition from Michael Rhodes and Newcastle’s Mark Wilson, who was the league’s top tackler with a rattling 258.
The work-rate of Wilson’s Falcons teammate, lock Callum Green, was also outstanding, with the former Tigers man only marginally lower on the tackle count (235) and finishing near the top of the line-out stats (92).
Leicester’s European Cup collapse against Glasgow and the dismissals of director of rugby Richard Cockerill and head coach Aaron Mauger saw them struggle for consistency until a late revival. Leading the charge was their young wrecker of a loose-head, Ellis Genge, and he is the only Tigers player to make the 23, although Bath-bound fly-half Freddie Burns deserves an honourable mention.
Telusa Veainu had cameos of brilliance, but his injury-hit season means the Leicester full-back did not have enough matches under his belt to challenge Goode. The same applied at scrum-half to Worcester‘s inspirational Springbok, Francois Hougaard, who was only available from February.  Elsewhere in the backs Owen Farrell would have been impossible to leave out had he played more than a handful of Premiership games, and his fellow Saracens backs, the sparkling Argentine Marcelo Bosch, and the arch poacher, Chris Ashton, were also unlucky only to make the bench.
Up front the quality of the Saracens hooking combo of Schalk Brits and his protégé George is unrivalled, with the veteran Springbok still one of the best counter-attacking runners in Europe. Staying with the front row, Harlequins tight-head Kyle Sinckler would have claimed the top spot if his scrummaging had been as prominent as his carrying – although Williams also beat him in tackle count.
The heavyweight duel for the No.8 shirt was a close call between Louis Picamoles and Billy Vunipola, following his return from injury. The big Frenchman edged ahead thanks to a marginally higher carrying yardage and his hugely effective off-loading game keeping Saints above water – although Vunipola was well ahead on turn-overs (13-2).
Wasps’ Australian play-maker Kurtley Beale, captain Joe Launchbury, and scrum-half Dan Robson had plenty of highs, but the Wasps low point against Leinster in the European Cup quarter-finals counted against them. However, the sheer elan over the course of the season of team-mates Jimmy Gopperth, Elliot Daly, Premiership top try scorer Christian Wade (17) and openside Thomas Young could not be ignored.
This is an exceptional team to represent the best of the English club game after a season which was as hard-fought and entertaining as any on record – and which finished with Saracens once again champions of Europe.
NICK CAIN’S TEAM OF THE YEAR
1. Mako Vunipola (Saracens)
Played 20 (European Cup and Premiership combined)
His show-and-go charge from the edge of the 22 against the Scarlets in the second round of the European Cup was one of the tries of the season, and one that most backs would give their eye-teeth for. Remains one of the best ball-carrying props in the game, and also gets through a mountain of work in defence. A driving force in Saracens retaining their European title.
2. Jamie George (Saracens, below)
Played 24 – His nearest rival was clubmate Schalk Brits, although if Ashley Johnson had started for Wasps at hooker more regularly he would have been a threat. Rock-solid at the set piece but also gets into scoring positions on a regular basis, scoring six tries over the course of the campaign. A talented ball-player who is deceptively mobile for his chunky build and has emerged as an all-round force.
3. Harry Williams (Exeter Chiefs)
Played 22 – The big tight-head is a main stanchion in one of the best driving mauls in the Premiership, and is an unstoppable force when he gets the scent of the line on the pick-and-drive. Has helped to set up numerous close range tries this season, and combined with his solid scrummaging it earned him a call-up for the England tour of Argentina. Tenacity in defence another plus.
4. Courtney Lawes (Northampton)
Played 16 – Well ahead of his England second row partner Launchbury in line-out wins, metres carried, and tackle-count over the club season. With the Saints pack struggling in other areas this was not the stellar season he wanted, but he still managed to maintain his impressive form for England when he went back to his club — and deserved his Lions call-up.
5. Maro Itoje (Saracens)
Played 23 – No sign of ‘second season syndrome’ here. His catching at the line-outs and re-starts is exemplary, and his work-rate and mobility in the loose is verging on the prodigious even in an era in which there is no shortage of athlete-locks. Versatile enough to play blindside for England, but his effectiveness in the tight and the loose already makes him a second row to be reckoned with.
6. Michael Rhodes (Saracens)
Played 30 – Has been a virtual ever-present throughout a season in which he was named Saracens Player of the Season, including a command performance in the win over Clermont. Not only one of the most effective line-out forwards in Europe, but one of the hardest-hitting. Made 219 tackles, including try saving last-ditch efforts against Exeter and Toulon which typified his spirit.
7. Thomas Young (Wasps, right)
Played 21 – Picked up where George Smith left off. A dynamic, smart openside flanker with great hands and the opportunism and finishing skills of wing. Had a mid-season dip after joining the Wales Six Nations camp, but is a specialist where his main rival, Jackson Wray, is not. Scored more tries than the Saracen (7-1), made more tackles, won more turn-overs, and beat twice as many defenders.
8. Louis Picamoles (Northampton)
Played 17 – The ‘Iceberg’ helped to keep the Saints afloat in stormy Premiership and European conditions, which saw them disappoint in both. The French No.8’s ball-carrying was a constant rallying point and his refusal to go to ground saw him score four tries and create many more with his slick offloads. A French success story, and will be badly missed if he moves to Montpellier this summer.
9. Richard Wigglesworth (Saracens)
Played 28 – From the moment he scored in the opening round at the Stade Felix Mayol to help end Toulon’s unbeaten European Cup home record to the last minute of the victory over Clermont, the veteran scrum-half played a blinder. Box-kicks which leave the receiver on the end of a skewer, perpetual motion, and a swift unfussy service are his trademarks.
10. Jimmy Gopperth (Wasps)
Played 24 – The Premiership’s main mover and shaker. What a campaign for the 33-year-old Kiwi as he scooped three of the big prizes. The multi-skilled Wasps back won the Premiership Player of the Season, as well as the Try of the Season – for a brilliant 50 metre burst against Northampton – and the Golden Boot (221 points). What also stands out is how he battled when the chips were down against Leinster. Richly deserved.
11. Olly Woodburn (Exeter Chiefs)
Played 20 – Has come on in leaps and bounds since joining Exeter from Bath, and the long-striding wing is now one of the most lethal finishers in the Premiership. Finished the regular season with ten tries, and left a trail of defenders in his wake. A big part of the gains he has made are from his willingness to come off his wing and track in support when the Chiefs break from deep.
12. Brad Barritt (Saracens)
Played 24 – If ever a captain led from the front it is the indomitable Saracens inside-centre. His true grit was typified against Clermont when Fritz Lee’s swinging arm in the opening minutes broke his nose. He simply shrugged it off before his sweet lay-off to Farrell paved the way for Ashton’s try. It demonstrated that he is the beating heart of Saracens, and much more than a crash-ball merchant.
13. Elliot Daly (Wasps, below)
Played 19 – Has that something special, and has become the real deal as his confidence and physical strength have burgeoned over the last two seasons. Creates chances as well as finishing them, and when the Wasps 13 puts his foot to the floor he moves so fast that the opposition look as if they are treading in treacle. Bosch and Joe Marchant were chasing hard, but Daly is difficult to catch.
14. Christian Wade (Wasps)
Played 26 – The wing who equalled a try-scoring record that has stood for 20 years is treasured by Wasps but continuously spurned by England. He is to Wasps and the Premiership the weaver of spells that Nehe Milner-Skudder was for the All Blacks in the 2015 World Cup. His speed and footwork sometimes appear to defy the laws of physics, and his 17 league tries say it all.
15. Alex Goode (Saracens)
Played 23 – Inspirational in the European Cup double, scoring the try that finished off Clermont, and his slide-rule accurate grubber set up Ashton’s try. One of the big enigmas in English rugby, but has the resilience of desert cactus – and spikes capable of spearing the best defences. Not the best cover tackler, and not failsafe under the high ball, but in attack he makes things happen.
Replacements:
16. Schalk Brits (Saracens)
Great competitor: The veteran high voltage injections still light up the Saracens attack.
17. Ellis Genge (Leicester)
Fierce, feisty young Tiger – a handful at the scrum and a one-man stampede in the loose.
18. Kyle Sinckler (Harlequins)
A runaway train with the ball in his hands, but has to become equally imposing at the scrum.
19. Joe Launchbury (Wasps)
Impressive work-rate, and a steadying influence in a Wasps pack lacking a punishing front five.
20. Mark Wilson (Newcastle)
Unlucky. Huge tackle count (258), six tries, three assists, nine clean breaks. All-rounder.
21. Dan Robson (Wasps)
Livewire scrum-half with pace, vision, and high-tempo game – but ignored for Argentina tour.
22. Marcelo Bosch (Saracens)
Pumas centre picks clever angles, ghosts through gaps, and has a complete kicking game. Classy.
23. Chris Ashton (Saracens)
Ace poacher signed off in style against Clermont by setting new European Cup try record of 37.