Out On The Full Awards

The 2013/14 Aviva Premiership Season has been more eventful than we could have possibly predicted, over the past nine months the competition has exceeded all expectations and it is not over yet. After 22 rounds the time is right to look back and showcase some of the key highlights, individuals and moments that have contributed to such a fabulous season. Now I realise that the award format is an extremely popular one and others that have more knowledge and resources than myself will be publishing their own however I felt that I couldn't let the season pass by without posting the Out On The Full Awards, I simply wouldn't be fulfilling my rugby duty if I did that. The awards are not an exhaustive list, if they were then we would be here until the Double Header in September because so many individuals have made the headlines and have delivered moments that have captured our hearts however here are just a few. 

Rugby is filled with big characters and we often get the chance to know them a little better during their media duties, we all know that the self proclaimed Archbishop of Banterbury, James Haskell, has a lot to say for himself however this year he has been eclipsed by another; Mr Joe Marler. Undoubtedly Joe's greatest moments were during the RBS 6 Nations' O2 Inside Line programmes and I do suggest that you dig them out later however he also provided us with a corker or two in the Aviva Premiership. The one that made the headlines and rightly so was when he asked referee Andrew Small whether he was wearing his brightly coloured boots for a bet!! Naturally Joe’s humour translates into his Twitter feed (@JoeMarler), his profile picture is a close up of Jonny May wearing a rather fetching bandage around his nose during the France game and he loves a lookalike or two. On the other side of the world The Honey Badger leads the way when it comes to humour and personally I am gunning for a Honey Badger and Marler double act interview because that would be extremely entertaining... Joe Marler wins the Out On The Full Gift Of The Gab award! 

When it comes to the spoken word there are a group of individuals that we rely on week in week out to provide the back drop to our televised matches; the commentary teams and one man in particular leads the way when it comes to creative yet informative commentary and that is Nick Mullins. Last year Nick provided us with one of the best descriptions of a player that I have ever heard when he said that Tom James was ‘like a giraffe on steroids’ and he has kept up his high standards. “Leroy Houston has had to leave us because he has a problem” and “Steve Borthwick scoops it up like a JCB” were a couple of my personal favourites this year and with the Semi Finals and Final still to come I can't wait to hear him end the season in style. Nick's commentary is a superb blend of extreme attention to detail and knowledge with classic crackers like the above and I take my hat off to him. Premiership Rugby simply wouldn’t be the same without our Out On The Full Commentator of The Year Nick Mullins. 

The Out On The Full Must Try Harder Award has to be awarded to the 'support team' at Gloucester Rugby after the infamous post facade at Kingsholm in Round 10. How can any of us forget the moment when the inflatable ball broke the posts and the hilarity that followed?? The Gloucester faithful must be complimented for their quick thinking and chants of ‘You don’t know what you are doing’ were delivered whilst the tractor driving debacle unfolded. Although a delay in kick off was extremely frustrating for the players even they hide their amusement as the tractor was positioned, moved and eventually the post hammered back in place. On behalf of everyone that watched that game and I’d like to say thank you ever so much for the entertainment, and I do mean that sincerely as it was very funny to watch!!! 

Heading back onto the pitch as rugby becomes more physical than ever choosing the Out On The Full Hit Of The Season has become almost impossible, week in week out we witness players being smashed into next year and I count my lucky stars that I am not out there on the pitch however there is one hit that happened fairly recently that we all enjoyed!!! I’m 99% sure that you will already know the one that I mean, it was delivered by referee Wayne Barnes on Schalk Brits and it gets better and better every time you watch it due to Schalk’s stunning facial expressions. Schalk has been phenomenal this season, he does things that no-one else in his position even dares to attempt and on top of that he is a lovely man. Many others players would have been terribly disgruntled by all the stick that has been directed his way since that fateful tackle but Schalk has simply taken it in his stride and I’ve heard that he might even use it on his own highlights reel when he eventually retires!!! The Out On The Full Hit Of The Season is awarded to referee Wayne Barnes with a little help from the weight of his Ref Cam!

Another Saracen that has been making the headlines is Jacques Burger, he has been outstanding from Round 1 and I believe that he could have been nominated for the Aviva Premiership Player Of The Month every single month, however in the spirit of 'sharing the love’ he wasn't. Jacques' complete disregard for his own safety whilst tackling and the fact that he often leads with his face has meant that he has received more stitches in one season than I have in my lifetime and continues to attack every single game in exactly the same way regardless of whether he has recently had bits of him stitched back together. More recently we have learned about the amount of maintenance work that he has to put in off the field to be able to go out and play the game that he loves and personally I am tremendously grateful for his dedication as he enriches all of our rugby lives. The only fitting title for this award is the Out On The Full Commitment To The Cause Award.

Stitches central! @Nabasboer

The formal awards for the Aviva Premiership Player of the Season, Director of Rugby of the Season, Young Player Of The Season and many more will be handed out at the Aviva Premiership Awards on 15th May and Out On The Full will be there to bring you all of the action from the evening and the reactions of the award winners therefore I am not going to even touch those categories!!!

The above are a selection of memorable moments/individuals from a season that has been one of the closest and most dramatic of recent years. Every single club, whether it has been mentioned or not, has contributed to a stunning 8 months of Aviva Premiership Rugby, it has been a joy to watch and write about. There are just three games left of the 13/14 season so it is time to savour every single minute of action before the Aviva Premiership closes its doors for another year.