15 Kurtley Beale (Wasps)
Injury had threatened to wreck the Australian’s big-money move to England but, once fully fit again, he displayed fizzing class virtually every time he touched the ball. Could have made the team of the year at No12 or No15 and will be missed when he returns to Australia after only one season. Bristol’s Jason Woodward also deserves a mention.
14 Chris Ashton (Saracens)
It has been a vintage Premiership year for wings with Sale’s Denny Solomona, Bath’s Semesa Rokoduguni and the Exeter pair of Olly Woodburn and James Short all contenders. Ashton, though, has had to show great resilience to recover from his international disappointments. Has scored nine league tries this season, seven of them in his side’s last six games.
13 Joe Marchant (Harlequins)
Until last week this shirt was safely in the possession of the Lions-bound Elliot Daly. The lightning-quick Marchant, though, undeniably outshone his classy Wasps counterpart at The Stoop and has looked consistently dangerous all season long. A place on this summer’s England tour to Argentina should yield a Test cap for the 20-year-old; it is unlikely to be his last.
12 Jimmy Gopperth (Wasps)
With Danny Cipriani returning to Wasps, no one was quite sure how Dai Young would accommodate both his playmakers. In the end Gopperth has played in almost every game, harvested more points than anyone else in the league and been an excellent foil for the creative Cipriani. Brad Barritt ran him close but the New Zealander, 34 next month, has been influential on multiple fronts.
11 Christian Wade (Wasps)
The only side Wade cannot get into is the one coached by Eddie Jones. No one in the northern hemisphere buzzes with more electricity with ball in hand and a tryline in sight. With 16 tries in 20 league games he is miles ahead of everyone else in this season’s try-scoring charts; at this rate England will have to take a fresh look at some stage.
10 Owen Farrell (Saracens)
By rights Farrell should not be eligible; because of injury and Test calls he played only six league games. It did not prevent his fellow pros nominating him for the RPA player’s player award and his growing authority makes him virtually impossible to leave out of any XV at present. Farrell is as certain a Test Lion as any going to New Zealand this summer.
9 Kahn Fotuali’i (Bath)
Bath have run hot and cold all season but their experienced Samoan scrum-half has been beyond reproach. Why Northampton let him go is a mystery: there is no slicker distributor in the league and the cute chip and classic no-look pass that created tries against Gloucester on Sunday were further evidence of the 34-year-old’s high-quality box of tricks.
1 Mako Vunipola (Saracens)
Along with brother Billy, Vunipola gives Saracens an extra turbo-charged forward dimension. Power, mobility, soft hands, a decent right boot … there are international centres who would envy his skillset. His scrummaging also continues to improve and even the All Blacks are set to be impressed this summer. Joe Marler also remains a flinty operator.
2 Jamie George (Saracens)
Lions recognition is no more than the energetic George deserves. He has had to be exceedingly patient with England and has still not started a Test but, in concert with Schalk Brits, he gives Saracens unrivalled service. Richard Hibbard has been unflinching for Gloucester and Tommy Taylor has enjoyed a good season for Wasps but George’s star is steadily rising.
3 Nick Schonert (Worcester)
Worcester have spent the season at the wrong end of the table but few would dispute the strength of their South African-born tighthead. The 25-year-old Schonert is eligible for England via a grandmother from Reading and is very much one to watch. Saracens’ Juan Figallo and Vincent Koch have also proved shrewd signings.
4 Maro Itoje (Saracens)
It is slightly scary to think Itoje is only 22. If he is destined for a dip in form there is no immediate sign of it; onwards and upwards he soars, a cross between a vast flying octopus and Anthony Joshua. He is a particular menace when the opposing side have the ball and it will be fascinating to see how he responds to the formidable Lions challenge awaiting the youngest man on tour this summer.
5 Courtney Lawes (Northampton)
With George Kruis’s game-time having been curtailed by injury and Joe Launchbury’s Premiership availability for Wasps also restricted, Lawes has enjoyed a resurgence for club and country. If Saints have too often flattered to deceive, their human wrecking ball has looked revitalised. His discipline is also better; he has not been given a yellow card in the league for the past three seasons.
6 Don Armand (Exeter)
The Chiefs are under-represented in this side relative to their lofty league position but the relentless Zimbabwe-born back-row simply cannot be ignored. Catching lineout balls and restarts, carrying hard, staunch defending, galloping the length of the field: he does the lot without breaking stride. Desperately unlucky not to be on England’s trip to Argentina.
7 Thomas Young (Wasps)
The departure of George Smith should have cramped Wasps’ style but his example lives on: Young Jr appears to have learned plenty from the Australian as well as his father, Dai. He was involved with the Wales squad during the Six Nations, covers an enormous amount of ground and has the second-highest tackle count in the league after Newcastle’s Mark Wilson.
8 Billy Vunipola (Saracens)
There are good reasons to select Louis Picamoles on the basis of his forceful first season for Northampton since arriving from France. When Billy plays, however, his influence on games is unmatched; he is fitter, more focused and a fast-maturing force. With his cousin Taulupe Faletau and Gloucester’s Ross Moriarty also touring with the Lions, the Premiership is not short of quality muscle.
