2014 Premiership team of the Year

And so we come to another year. 2014 has been wonderful for rugby, building up to the World Cup, we've seen some fantastic tries, excellent runs and some, well, dubious moments. Because all this would not be possible without the players of the 12 Premiership clubs who we see week in week out putting their bodies on the line to give us a damn good weekend. And with the final game of the year giving us just much entertainment as one that started, it we look back at the players who have led the way in making the game the best in the world. So be ready to look back, we countdown the starting 15 of the Premiership team of 2014.

Breaking from tradition, we start with loose head prop. It's difficult not to include Alex Corbisiero. In a normal season, he would've taken the England shirt for himself and kept it all season. However as has been typical of the try scoring lion, he had troubles for most of the year with injury. Not only has he had surgery on both knees, he has had to have severe rehabilitation on his shoulder. Whilst most teams would struggle to lose a player of his quality Northampton have been able to fill his boots with Alex Waller, a player who has taken on the responsibility with his brother, Ethan, both of which re-signed with Northampton for further years. Neither of these players however have made it into Stuart Lancaster's England match day set up, despite Alex earning himself his first call-up to the elite playing squad.Whilst other props are worthy of mention, such as Matt Mullen and Logovi Munipola (who spent most of last season on the opposite side of the scrum), I feel that the Aviva Premiership #1 shirt should go to Harlequins captain Joe Marler. he has made the gap of Corbisiero not feel as large during the summer and autumn international fixtures as well as excellent showings during the six nations. I look forward to watching the competition between these two players when they are both fit and well for the 2015 six nations opener against Wales.

At hooker, it really boils down to 2 different styles player. Schalk Brits has been incredible during the opening months of 2014, making metres away with not expect the hooker to collect them. His tackle on Wayne Barne, though, showed that he needs some more work when tackling a referee. Unfortunately for him, injury struck just after the beginning of the 2014/2015 season, and so has ruled him out of the starting shirt. The other hookers worthy of note are Tom Youngs and Rob Webber both to have played exciting games throughout the season, however Youngs's shoulder injury prevented him from taking part in any of the Autumn International matches. And so the accolade goes to Hampton Captain Dylan Hartley. What some may disagree due to his injuries and disciplinary record, it is hard to deny that he has led Northampton exceptionally well this term, and he continues to show his skill at an international level. His stand in, Mike Haywood, is an exceptional young player who continues to develop and I'm sure we will see him in a Saxon shirt before the end of the year.

Tighthead prop goes to Dave Wilson of Bath, who has paved an interesting England career gonna taking a high number caps, mostly off the bench.  However in the absence of Dan Cole, he started all of the Autumn Internationals, with reserve tighthead being Kieron Brooks of Newcastle. Both players showed the class at withstanding the dominance of the southern hemisphere. Salesi Ma'afu has brought some of the Australian scrum with him, and still holds the most ironic cheer for a red card decision in a Premiership fixture, but for me, Wilson has stepped up this year.
 

Numbers four and five in our yellow and blue shirted team go to Dave Attwood and Courtney Lawes. These two men have stood head and shoulders above the other competitors, apart from perhaps Joe Launchbury and Christian Day. Day is perhaps the best lock to have never been capped, and Launchbury's unfortunate injury, similar to Geoff Parling, have had the, out of contention for a long while. The leadership the selected two showed internationally have perhaps pushed them up the scale, and who doesn't like watching Lawes smashing into his targets?

Our flankers are a pretty difficult issue. Our main competitors are Tom Wood, James Haskell, Chris Robshaw, Callum Clark, Luke Wallace, Ashley Johnson, Julian Salvi, Jamie Gibson, Jacques Burger and Francois Louw. Over the whole year though, I would say James Haskell and Tom Wood have lead their teams respectively to their goals. The Wasps home grown Archbishop of Banterbury keeps the teams spirits up and pushed them forward to the excellent double header against Stade Francais. And who could forget the image of Tom Wood's roar at Franklin's Gardens against Leicester? He led Northampton in the Premiership semi- and final fixtures, in the absence of Hartley. Robshaw is a worthy candidate but I've never personally found him to be significantly better than either of his partners at club and country level. His work level is incredible and I hold him in very high regard, but for the sake of this selection, he just misses out.

Number 8. Now I could dither about who is on the shortlist, but frankly, that would be wasting the time of everyone involved. Samu Manoa. Any arguments? No? I thought not. Anyone who can score a hat trick off the bench, albeit against Treviso, and set up a score as he did last weekend deserves to have the name sewn onto his shirt instead of ironed on. He will be sorely missed when he departs to France at the end of this season. Though we should mention Thomas Waldrom. Hasn't he done well since leaving Leicester?

Scrum half is very contentious. Our three England scrum halves, Danny Care, Lee Dickson and Ben Youngs, have put forward a very strong case for their inclusion. However, consistency hasn't been with any of them, and although Care is higher up the list in my mind, he isn't the top 9 in the Premiership. I would say the key 9 is Kahn Fotuali'i. His sniping runs, ability to play at fly half and tactical thinking have stood him in strong stead. The Samoan and Barbarian takes some stopping and hopefully his shoulder injury is not so severe to keep him away for too long.

Fly half is an interesting decision to make. Cries for Owen Farrell, Charlie Hodgeson and Danny Cipriani to be included are justified but ultimately ignored. My choice goes to either George Ford or Stephen Myler. This is the only time I'll have a suspended decision. Ultimately it depends on what you chose to do with your squad. If you look for exciting running lines, chose Ford. If you want someone more steady and kicks his goals, Myler is your man. And if you were going by the two most recent head to heads between the two, the Amlin Cup final and the match at the Gardens in September, Myler walked away with Man of the Match for one of those, and a clear victory in both matches. Decide for yourself.

Our two wingers gives me pause for thought. Mostly because I have gone for three wingers in the team, but one in the centres. So my wingers in their rightful places. I've chosen to go with George North and Mark Cueto. There are a huge number of candidates, but these two rise up and hold their heads high. Literally in North's case. He's really stepped up this season, scoring four tries against the Ospreys, finishing off Manoa's effort against Harlequins, and generally raising the roof every time he has the ball, the Lion roars in the Midlands. Cueto, on the other hand, business as usual. The top try scorer of the Premiership is still going for at least four more months and I hope we see him finish in style at Sale.

Now calm down, all those angrily shouting "what about Goneva, you imbecile?!" He's in the squad, but he gains the outside centre shirt. The problem I had was selecting these three players, and I felt that Goneva was far more effective for Leicester as a centre than on the wing. North is similarly powerful as a centre, and slipped in there a few times against Leicester when Tom Stephenson was sacrificed. So North and Goneva could be swapped at will, perhaps putting Cueto on the left and Goneva on the right. But who is the inside centre? It could be Henry Slade, Billy Twelvetrees, Brad Barritt, even Farrell if I was feeling generous or not paying attention. Realistically, it has to be Luther Burrell. His inclusion to the Six nations must be surely confirmed by now, and what else does he need to do if he hasn't been chosen to start?

Finally, the full back. And again, England's trio of Mike Brown, Ben Foden and Alex Goode would be leading edge charge. But consistency across the whole year is my criteria, and Brown didn't quite fizzle for me in the autumn, despite being glorious in the Six nations. Foden has suffered with injury, despite being fabulous at the Gardens and Goode doesn't seem to shift his form to England. But by my criteria, I have chosen James Wilson. The utility Kiwi back flashes his brilliance before resigning with the Saints, and his thunderous boot has cleared Northampton when they've been cornered numerous times. His ability to slot in anywhere in the backs means he can take the ball from anywhere and just cause chaos.

That's my selection, and I invite you to disagree with it. That's the point. This is MY selection, you have your opinions, and I would love to hear and debate with you on your opinions once again, here is my squad, and let me wish you a very Happy New Year. 

1. Joe Marler

2. Dylan Hartley

3. Dave Wilson

4. Courtney Lawes

5. Dave Attwood

6. James Haskell

7. Tom Wood

8. Samu Manoa

9. Khan Fotuali'i 

10. Stephen Myler/ George Ford

11. George North

12. Luther Burrell

13. Niki Goneva

14. Mark Cueto

15. James Wilson

USA did ok and the Autumn internationals begin

Last weekend saw the first fixture between the All Blacks and the USA Eagles for a long time. Whilst the result was never in doubt, the USA never gave up, and the fixture will live in the memory as a very entertaining fixture. Glimmers of hope for team USA, particularly the Premiership based players Samu Manoa and Blaine Scully, made the fixture more than just a one off kick about. The take from Scully from a restart, followed by Manoa, showed just how the USA could do something with rugby if the big wigs can set up a professional league. The pure excitement by the commentary team annoyed many before becoming a very refreshing turn of pace. I'd love to hear that level of excitement each week, even to the point where the commentators observed the All Blacks attacking the offside line whilst the Eagles were penalised.
Whilst many eyes were at Twickenham for the highly entertaining Barbarians v Australia fixture, the entertainment at Soldier Field was glorious. It bodes well for American rugby that they can get the interest for a fixture like this, in a beautiful, sport mad city. However, some bizarre murmurs are floating around the Internet. IRB chief Brett Gosper has suggested the move of a Six Nations fixture to America, along with the proposed Premiership matches to head across the pond. Now for my money, Mr Gosper is talking rubbish. None of the six governing bodies will sanction a transfer for a home game. Nothing compares to a full Twickenham or Millenium Stadium for a contest against old rivals. The only possible fixture would be taking Italy as the home side, against Ireland in New York. Or Italy as the home side in New York against any of the home nations. The French would kick up so much fuss, it wouldn't be worth the bother. And actually, moving any game overseas is relatively pointless. Take the home crowd away from a Six Nations fixture and it's just not the same. Ditto for any Premiership games. It'll draw some small interest but ultimately it wouldn't be able to draw the long term focus and interest to the sport.

Away from the States, the past few days saw the first flurry of international fixtures. And predictably, France and Italy were able to take on Fiji and Samoa respectively with relative comfort. Even the Scots on their new turf were content with the try fest that was the match against Argentina. The three home teams are used to contesting with the best of the Northern hemisphere, year after year. The gap between the standards of the Six nations and Pacific Island squads, who play their own round robin tournament with Canada, America and Japan, is as vast as the difference between the Tri nations and the rest of the world.
A nice link to take us to the Big Three of the respective hemispheres. The Welsh and English narrowly lost out to the Australians and Kiwis, but the Itish showed some beautiful sparks to take the Springboks down with a full fourteen point gap. Wales were as close as they've ever been, but for a looping pass getting intercepted by Israel Falou, and the boot of Bernard Foley,  they may done the deed to get the edge over their pool rivals. Some worrying injuries won't help Wales as they welcome Fiji next weekend, but the positives far outweigh the individual errors.
Ireland have a similarly easier time next week, as Georgia are the visitors. The Irish looked as if they'd never finished the Six Nations, even against a South African squad fresh from defeating New Zealand. If there was a squad likely to beat the All Blacks in a couple of weeks, it's this Ireland squad, full of talent and experience.
Finally England. The fifth loss to the All Blacks in as many attempts will be either marked as a sign of England's injuries, or a mental block, or even just a lack of fitness. The positives in so many areas will lighten Stuart Lancaster's video session on Monday morning, and perhaps being into question some areas of selection. Danny Care and Owen Farrell showed some real weaknesses in their kicking, and against the Springboks, it will be just as damming. The darting run from Jonny May was pure class, yet he and Rokogunguni barely saw the ball. Mike Brown was far from his best, dropping the ball inches from the line, amongst other minor errors. The distribution of the ball needs improving, and I think changing the game plan will make things more dangerous on Saturday. In the pack, the loss of Courtney Lawes to concussion did not appear to sting as much as you may have though at first. George Kruis stepped up wonderfully, and he showed the strength England have in this position. The pack contested well, but for all the struggles against the men in Black, nothing came of it. Mind you, the sneaky tricks of McCaw wouldn't have helped.
So where are England to turn to? Honestly, I would like to see a change in half backs and the centre partnership. Care, Farrell and Barritt should be switched out for Dickson, Ford and Joesph. These three have had far better Premiership seasons so far. The South Africans will be a huge challenge, but by altering the midfield, we should see a change in the attacking force.
If Lancaster doesn't make his changes this week, he should for against Samoa, giving chances to his second string players. Mullan, Webber and Brooks should take to the starting line up, as should Joseph, possibly with Burrell if he is fit. Ford should definitely start by that point, and I believe the captain and Tom Wood should be rested, or possibly benched. Let James Haskell and Calum Clark take the turf and lead the way for the Englishmen.
So let the bells of change ring, and we shall see where we go next time.

England selection after Premiership week 6 and Europe week 1

Seven weeks into the season, and already we have see some incredible fixtures, heated emotion and so much discussion and competition surrounding Stuart Lancaster's England selection. Players have been sadly dropping like flies, but others have been shining so brightly, it's hard to ignore them. The background drama of the transfer rumours and stadium movements have threatened to overshadow the beautiful rugby we've had recently, but the mutterings of the assorted pub masses are reached a fevered pitch.
So who deserves the place?  We'll go numerically, purely for my own sanity. So the loose heads, and with no new injuries, the top three will remain the same as the last post. Joe Marler, Matt Mullan and Alex Waller, though after the Bath game against Wasps, Mullan may find himself below Waller for the reserve shirt. This weekend of European rugby will surely show the three players who the better is.
Over to the hookers, and again, no injury changes here. Dylan Hartley, Rob Webber and Jack Yeandle continue to make considerable ticks for their names in the Premiership, despite Hartley being benched against Sale.Yeandle was named in the Opta stats team of the week, and for that, and all his performances this year, he deserves the call, particularly over David Paice , who took a yellow card for refusing to retreat before tackling a player. The two went head to head at Sandy Park, and Yeandle has come out the better.
Tight heads are still an issue, and not something I will dwell on. Dave Wilson, Henry Thomas, and Kieran Brooks have been quietly going about their business as usual, though Wilson will be expecting a dressing down, if he's not had one already, for his tripping offence last weekend against Wasps. Kieran Longbottom is still in for contention, but he needs to do something special to dislodge the two Bath men.
To the second rows, and Courtney Lawes, Joe Launchbury and Dave Attwood are the top three, with a contentious issue as to who gets the fourth slot. Graham Kitchener and James Gaskell will be in the crosshairs with Geoff Parling out injured. Kitchener and Gaskell both toured with England and having Gaskell in the squad does give an extra flanker option, so he may get the nod over the Tiger.
Speaking of flankers, the back row is an absolute minefield of talent. But before I get on to who I'd pick, I should address the Armitage elephant in the room. The rumoured switch to Bath came crashing to a halt after the financial side could not be agreed. Apparently, Bath asked the RFU for help for funding, and were rather frankly told no. And that is as it should be. No player is worth jeopardising the integrity of the Premiership. Armitage was apparently told by Toulon management that he would only be released if he was guaranteed England selection. Now either they knew it would never happen, or they really are as mad as they seem. I've enjoyed Armitage's play but I don't think he is worthy of the recall, especially since we have such strength here. My view is, if Armitage wanted to play in the World Cup, he should have signed to an English club instead of a contract extension. Sorry, but he knew the rules before he left.
Anyway, who to select? Tom Wood, Chris Robshaw, James Haskell, Ben Morgan and Billy Vunipola are bound to get selected, so who else is there room for? Jon Fisher,  Jamie Gibson, Luke Wallace, Callum Clark, Thomas Waldrom, and Dave Ewers have bashed their way through the opening matches and I wouldn't like to call who should be selected. But that's the point of all this, so for my money, Fisher, Waldrom and Ewers are ahead of everyone else. Is this because of who they are playing for? Well it's easier to be picked if you're playing for a winning team. A point Clive Woodward made over Danny Cipriani.
Before I get ahead of myself, let's select the scrum halves. Danny Care, Lee Dickson and Ben Youngs, in that order. Care has just become a father for the first time, and congratulations to him and his partner. His form for Harlequins has been one of the brightest sparks the Quins have had in recent weeks, and his tournament opening try was a typical scrum half try, pouncing the loose ball after a pair of Nick Evans's kicks. Dickson has started brilliantly in this season, using his partnership with Stephen Myler and the Northampton pack, as well as the pressure from Khan Fotuali'i, to make a proper start of the season. Conversely, Youngs has been struggling as stand in captain for Leicester, generally being caught going backwards. He still has moments of skill, but my worry is the length of time he tends to hold the ball before passing. He gets his fly half in trouble doing that at Premiership level. Against the All Blacks or the Springbocks, there will be no chance.
Back to the fly halves, George Ford and Myler have been leading the way. Leicester's injuries and rapidly reversing pack have put pressure on Freddie Burns, and the contest for the kicking tee with Owen Williams will have dented his confidence. Anyone remember Myler and Ryan Lamb contesting at Northampton? Danny Cipriani had a really good chance to stamp his name onto the shirt over Myler in round 6, but he was beaten at every opportunity. Myler has bested both of his other contenders at the Gardens, and deserves a chance in the white. I have a feeling Owen Farrell will still be picked, but he hasn't shown his form just yet. He's recovering from a series of injuries picked up early on, and Charlie Hodgeson has pinched his domestic shirt. Should he be considered as well? Possibly, he has outplayed the current England ten all season so far, but to me, and actually, a fair few commentators, Myler has been the best fly half in England.
Now I'll skip my rule of going by numbers and go to the centres. There have been so many names branded about for a call up, and the shining feet and beautiful partnership of Kyle Eastmond and Jonathon Joseph have seen the fans at the Rec salavating, and the England coaches wriggling with delight. The ready made partnership could be partnered with Ford to see how they go, but I would like to see Joseph paired with Luther Burrell. The defensive errors Eastmond made in New Zealand vanished when Burrell came onto the field, plugging the holes. He hasnt exactly been quiet in the Premiership either, partnering up with George Pisi fantastically. Burrell is a more complete centre for Lancaster's mold, and with Billy Twelvetrees performing inconsistently, and Manu Tuilagi recovering from a groin injury, Burrell should take the 12 shirt. Unless, of course, Henry Slade or Sam Hill have something to say about it. The two Exeter centres have been glorious, and at least one of them should be promoted from the Saxons. I reckon it will be Hill. Playing out of  position at 13 instead of his preferred fly half role gives him some versatility not shown by any of the aforementioned. He could be played at 12, 10 or 13, and Lancaster would have their second playmaker, as has clearly helped Exeter during the Premiership. Following the suspected injury to Eastmond this weekend though, it may open the door back for Twelvetrees.
Now to the wingers, and unsurprisingly, David Strettle is being talked up as the in form winger. Mark McCall has been celebrating his wingers for their try scoring abilities, but for me, neither Strettle nor Chris Ashton deserves the slot. Ashton has too many defensive weaknesses and Strettle tends to score  on the end of a backs movement where most wingers worth the shirt should score. But by far, the best winger in the Premiership right now is Semesa Rokoduguni, the Bath Action man on release from the army and rightfully should get the 14 shirt in the autumn. Opposite him, a contest is more fierce. Christian Wade (a wonderful chap), Jonny May and Marland Yarde are all the main competition, and I think Wade and Yarde have made a better start to the season. All three have had some defensive issues this year, but Wade has magical feet and Yarde has a decent size to counter the fast runners and power players of the southern hemisphere.
Finally, the fullbacks. Ben Foden has, without a doubt, been the best fullback in the Premiership, but this weekend shot himself in the foot with a poor decision to clear his lines and getting charged down for a late try. Mike Brown is the other contender, but he hasn't had the form he did last season. He's had flashes of brilliance but his hip injury has hampered him and kept him from his best. Alex Goode is thought to be as another option but he hasn't been test quality recently.
So my match day 23 then, after long considerations and the many many fixtures of the weekend, I have my starting line up for Twickenham on November 8th. Feel free to comment and tweet if you disagree. I open this to debate, and it will carry on until the squad is selected on Wednesday. For those who are curious, I will leave my supporting 10 to flesh out the squad.

1. Marler
2. Hartley
3. Wilson
4. Lawes
5. Launchbury
6. Wood (c)
7. Haskell
8. Waldrom
9. Care
10. Myler
11. Yarde
12. Burrell
13. Joseph
14. Rokoduguni
15. Foden

16. Webber
17. Waller
18. Thomas
19. Attwood
20. Robshaw
21. Dickson
22. Ford
23. Brown

Squad support
Forwards:  Mullan, Yeandle, Brookes, Gaskell, Vunipola, Morgan
Backs:  Youngs, Farrell, Slade, May.