Smiles all round: Tom Varndell has been running in tries for fun this season
After
12 rounds in the Aviva Premiership, last season’s champions Harlequins currently
occupy the top-spot. Leicester, Saracens
and Gloucester are in hot pursuit, the competition for playoff positions between
the chasing pack is fiercer than ever. After a summer full of PR hype and
anticipation about a new stadium, a new Director of Rugby and many lucrative
signings including Danny Cipriani and Richie Gray, the Sale Sharks are swimming
against the tide at the bottom end of the table. There have been some enthralling
encounters, but which individuals have impressed in the opening half of the
season?
1.
Joe Marler (Harlequins) England’s lose-head prop
has been in destructive form for club and country, it is no surprise to see Harlequins
top of the pile as they have a formidable platform created by hard-working
forwards. Marler’s technical nous in the scrum has won his side countless
penalties slotted by the reliable former All Black Nick Evans. He also provides
a threat with ball in hand which this helps draw in defenders and give Quins attacking
momentum.
2.
Tom Youngs (Leicester) the hooker has made a
smooth transition from the centres and looks right at home at the coalface in
the scrum. His throwing in to the line-out has improved and this will get
better as he gains more experience at the top level at hooker. Youngs is only 5
foot 9, however, he is very powerful and his ability to get low and keep his strong
leg drive going makes him a difficult player to bring down.
3.
Dan Cole (Leicester) Cole is one of the most
improved players of 2012-his form pushed the Tigers and Italian stalwart Martin
Castrogiovanni to the bench for the majority of this season. The tight-head
seems to be giving away fewer penalties and has mastered the ability to put the
squeeze on an opposing front-row, seen most recently in Leicester’s demolition
job against Gloucester in the 17-12 victory at Welford Road.
4.
Joe Launchbury (Wasps) is
one of the most promising young players around - the 21 year old has a bright future
ahead of him. He already has 4 England caps to his name, and some outstanding
performances in the Premiership behind him, Launchbury will get better as he
gets more experience at the top level. He has already proved himself to be a
viable line-out option and a powerful ball carrier. One to watch, Wasps will be
delighted to have secured his signature until the end of the 2014/15 season.
5.
Geoff Parling (Leicester) the line-out guru has excelled this season; he has an uncanny
ability to read the opposition’s set-up and react quickly during defensive line-outs,
and is a versatile and reliable jumper in an attacking set-piece. Yet to commit
himself to another contract with Leicester, many other Premiership sides and some
French outfits are keen to acquire his services for next season.
6.
Kelly Brown (Saracens) the Scottish flanker’s
ability to get to the breakdown and both secure and steal possession has helped
Sarries to second place in the table going in to the New Year. His experience
with Scotland (52 caps) is a real asset to Saracens, the breakdown in the
Premiership is a contentious issue, however, if you are quick and smart enough,
you can occasionally exploit the official’s naivety to your side’s benefit. Brown does this with
ease, and he leads a stringent back row in defence, his side have the best
defence in the league, having only conceded 162 points in 12 games.
7.
Akapusi Qera (Gloucester) the Fijian powerhouse
has been knocking players backwards all season, his work rate is phenomenal and
his passion to play for the Cherry and Whites is undeniable. Promisingly, the flanker
has shown more than sheer physicality, as he is the league’s top scoring
forward, having crossed the line 4 times to date.
8.
Nick Easter (Harlequins) England’s ‘forgotten
man’ is still thriving at the Stoop, it is easy to understand Stuart Lancaster’s
decision to look to youth ahead of the Rugby World Cup in 2015 on home soil,
however, Easter continues to work his socks off in defence and break the
gain-line from the back of the champions’ scrum. He is particularly strong
collecting kick-offs and making the hard yards to keep his side on the
front foot.
9.
Danny Care (Harlequins) simply the best
scrum-half in the league so far this season, however, most scrum halves in the
tournament would thrive with the amount of quality possession that Care has at
his disposal. What impresses me about Care is his ability to raise his side’s
tempo at any point in a game and his quick-thinking. He creates opportunities
for his team-mates and always looks to catch lazy defences napping from
quick-taps or penalties.
10.
Freddie Burns (Gloucester) has matured and has added
vital controlling aspects to his game needed to help force Gloucester in to the
top four. Twice voted Premiership player of the month, the former Bath academy
playmaker was rightly given with his first England cap as a replacement in the
38-21 victory over the All Blacks at Twickenham. He has always been able to
create something out of nothing; however, his tactical kicking has kept a slightly
misfiring Gloucester in matches, when in previous seasons they would have
folded at earlier stages in the game. His place-kicking has also vastly
improved, for most of the season he has been hovering at around 80%. Currently,
Burns is the league’s top points scorer with 173.
11.
Matt Jess (Exeter) surprisingly, the Chiefs are
the league’s joint top try scorers with Harlequins with 29 scores to date. This
has been an exciting turnaround for Rob Baxter’s men, who in their first two
seasons, were typecast by their gritty performances and victories based around
reliable place kicking. However, the South Westerners have added some variety
and creativity to their game to Jess’s benefit, the former Coventry speedster
has crossed 4 times this season, proving himself to be a more than capable
finisher in the Premiership.
12.
Billy Twelvetrees (Gloucester) Leicester’s Richard
Cockerill was furious when he heard he was loosing his centre/fly-half to
Gloucester and it obvious to see why. Twelvetrees is very strong at the
breakdown, he wins turnovers and penalties with ease and his long kicking game
gives Freddie Burns another option to relieve pressure and also to turn the
screw on retreating defences. Encouragingly, the England Saxon centre has more
to give; he needs to be used more in distributing the ball wide to danger man
such as England’s Charlie Sharples, Jonny May (when he returns from injury) and
the lesser known, but equally dangerous runner Shane Monahan.
13.
Owen Farrell (Saracens) normally plays at inside-centre for his club, but he has turned out
for his club at outside-centre. His passion for the physical aspects of the
game is inspiring, he never backs out of a tackle and he is becoming a very
shrewd rugby player. When the pitches harden during the final quarter of the
season, Farrell needs to add more creativity to his game. He needs to replicate
his performance at fly-half for England against the All Blacks in the No. 10
shirt. However, Saracens often look to the veteran Charlie Hodgson, who is
still the best passing fly-half in the league and has a metronomic boot. As
with their new stadium – the Allianz Park equipped with a 4G playing surface,
Saracens need to look to the future, and give Farrell a chance in the commanding
fly-half position.
14.
Tom Varndell (Wasps) one of the remarkable
turnarounds this season, Varndell was unfortunate to suffer long-term injuries
in previous seasons. However, the wing capped 4 times by England has been part
of a fascinating comeback by Wasps, who currently sit one point behind the top
four in 5th position. Sadly,
his England career didn't take off as he was criticised for a weak defensive
game, however, his attacking game has never been in doubt – he has dotted down
ten times this season. His footwork and raw pace gives him the ability to
finish chances even in the narrowest of channels.
15.
Mike Brown (Harlequins) continued his excellent form from the 2011/2012 championship winning
season with Harlequins. His counter-attacking ability and tactical kicking
prowess make him an incredibly dangerous full-back to kick to. Brown played two
games in the autumn internationals on the wing, however, his strongest position
is at full-back, where he can read the game and provide a useful attacking threat
from deep.
Do you have any thoughts or comments about
my selections? Who do you think have been standout players for your club this
season? Comment below or tweet me @tommyd91
No comments:
Post a Comment