Tom Youngs was voted the Aviva Premiership Player of the Year last night.
The Leicester hooker has been in superb form all season wether it was for club or country. Since establishing himself as the Tigers‘ number one hooker towards the end of last season, he has done the same with Enlgand.
He made his Test debut last November and went on to start nine consecutive games to England, a performance rewarded by his selection for the up and coming British & Irish Lions tour of Australia.
The hooker has enjoyed a remarkable year in which he made his debut for England, established himself as their first choice No.2 and will travel with the British & Irish Lions in the summer. And all this after he originally started his rugby career in the centres and after opting to switch to the front-row, had a spell at Nottingham learning the trade.
Youngs, who beat Steve Borthwick, Akapusi Qera, Danny Care, Julian Salvi and Christian Wade to the honour, started his career as a centre but made the switch to the front row a couple of season, a story praised by Premiership Rugby’s director of rugby Phil Winstanley heralded Youngs’ impressive campaign.
He said: “His story is extraordinary. To move from the centre to hooker is practically unheard of in professional rugby. To then go on to make your England debut and a Lions tour the following season is what dreams are made of!
“I am sure that he will be the first to tell you that this award is also a tribute to the coaching staff at Leicester Tigers who have helped him every step of the way. He wouldn’t be on the Lions tour and have become England’s first choice hooker without their patience, dedication and expertise and it is such a positive endorsement of the Leicester Tigers academy system which has produced Tom and five of his team mates for this year’s Lions tour.
“Tom certainly didn’t get it his own way in the voting with every player on the shortlist getting significant support. In the end though, it was Tom’s positional move and what he has achieved in such a short time that edged it his way.”
But Youngs wasn’t the only Tiger to be honoured last night as seven of his teammates were picked alongside him by the fans in the Premiership Dream Team.
Christian Wade, who was up for three awards on the night, had to settle for the top try-scorer award which he shared with team-mate Tom Varndell.
His Wasps team-mate Joe Launchbury picked up the Discovery of the Season award while Saracens’ Mark McCall was named Director of Rugby of the Season.
Harlequins’ Ollie Lindsay-Hague was the Game Changer of the season for his performance against London Welsh while Dan Bowden’s wonder try against Saracens was named Try of the Season.
Dream Team: Luke Arscott (Exeter Chiefs); Tom Varndell (London Wasps), Manu Tuilagi (Leicester Tigers), Billy Twelvetrees (Gloucester Rugby), Christian Wade (London Wasps); Toby Flood (Leicester Tigers), Ben Youngs (Leicester Tigers); Mako Vunipola (Saracens), Tom Youngs (Leicester Tigers), Dan Cole (Leicester Tigers); Ed Slater (Leicester Tigers), Geoff Parling (Leicester Tigers); Tom Wood (Northampton Saints), Julian Salvi (Leicester Tigers), Richie Baxter (Exeter Chiefs).
Aviva Premiership Rugby Player of the Season: Tom Youngs (Leicester Tigers)
Discovery of the Season: Joe Launchbury (London Wasps)
Director of Rugby of the Season: Mark McCall (Saracens)
Try of the Season: Dan Bowden (Leicester Tigers v Saracens – 23.2.13) – Watch below.
Game Changer of the Season: Ollie Lindsay-Hague (Harlequins)
Community Player of the Season: Shaun Perry (Worcester Warriors)
J.P. Morgan Premiership Rugby 7s Series Player of the Season: Jonathan Joseph (London Irish)
Top Try Scorer of the Season: Tom Varndell and Christian Wade (both London Wasps) – 13 tries
Golden Boot: Freddie Burns (Gloucester Rugby) – 240 points
