Breakthrough Season - Backs

This season we have seen the level of attacking rugby in the Aviva Premiership move up a notch as more and more our sides are keeping ball in hand and playing at pace. To date 641 tries have been scored and 64 try scoring bonus points have been produced by our Aviva Premiership sides and at the heart of those statistics have been some standout backs. 

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In the black and gold of Wasps we have seen Elliot Daly flourish, last season he spend much of the year covering at Full Back and whilst he applied himself with ease it is in the centres where he is most at home. Daly’s brilliant turn of pace is complimented by his ability to evade tacklers and his arching run has become a trademark. It is fair to say that most teams won’t think twice about giving a penalty away on half way or or five meters inside their own half, however with Daly on the pitch the opposition have to think again. His boot is remarkable as he makes those distances look like child's play as he delivers with pinpoint accuracy. Defensively he is as sure as they come and as the domestic rounds have gone on, rightly so, the the calls of International honours have grown louder.

The development of Bath Rugby has made every side sit up and take notice and they thoroughly deserve their first foray in the playoffs for five years. At the heart of their success has been George Ford, a player that combines a great hunger for improvement with spades of natural talent, it is a lethal combination. His ability to play flat to the line and make a decision in the faces of the defence as opposed to three steps behind them gives Bath an edge. This ability is combined with a great vision and feel for the game and his exceptional game management has been showcased on a weekly basis for club and country. This season we have enjoyed sublime lines, textbook dummies and an ability to front up to those charging at him on a weekly basis, Ford may be slighter than a few others but he'll never take a backwards step. Off the tee he's delivering a cool 81% success rate off no less than 86 kicks at goal and right now there are no signs of Ford slowing down.

Whilst the joke ‘he’s so good that they named him twice’ grew tiresome immediately after its first outing watching the subject of it, Sinoti Sinoti, will never grow old. This year the Falcons have been able to deliver Sinoti with much higher quality ball thanks to their collective improvement going forwards and that has enabled us all to delight in the Samoan's talent. It is a testament to Sinoti's ability that he has made more meters than any other Aviva Premiership player and done so in a team that isn't part of the upper echelons of the Aviva Premiership table. His pace across the ground is complimented by his muscular frame and fairly low centre of gravity, it makes him a nightmare to put down on the floor and even the best Aviva Premiership tacklers have struggled to contain him. A call up to Samoa’s wider RWC training squad is richly deserved and I can't wait to see his progression.

Another man that has crafts his trade in the blue, black and white of Bath Rugby is Jonathan Joseph and over the course of the past eight months he has matured before our very eyes. For many the most memorable of JJ’s performances will have been in the Red Rose of England however if you’ve watched Bath Rugby closely you'll have noticed that he has been just as prolific domestically. JJ’s feet are beautiful ones, his pace and step are World Class and the manner in which he can mix things up means opposition hate to play against him. JJ has always had the talent and now he has the mindset to match, his focus and professionalism have increased since his move to Bath rugby and it is that application that has seen him blossom. If you asked me to choose some of the most dynamic moments and breaks of the season I could guarantee that many would be of JJ's making. He is a delight to watch and pleasingly for both Bath and England a game changer for you trust that when the chips are down JJ will do something special to get things back on track.

Exactly like his Wasps' team mate Joe Simpson has taken the opportunity this season to stick his hand up and make his presence known. It is the scrum half's electric turn of pace and eye for a score that has delivered magic for Wasps, indeed solo tries, of a majestic nature, are the norm and not the exception from Simpson. Week in week out Simpson distributes strongly and manages the game and his forwards with proficiency. In defence he is solid as a rock and has made countless try saving tackles when he had absolutely no right to even get close to the men that were flying towards the try line. For England Saxons Simpson came on with 20 minutes to go and added tempo and purpose and as the calls for that being a role that he plays in the main squad grow louder you hope that the injury he picked up against Leicester isn't too serious for this 9 more than deserves his chance.

Alongside the above backs there are a number of others that must be noted for their contributions this season. The first is Saracens' Chris Wyles for his unrivalled versatility and ability to play across the backline with astounding proficiency. Other notable members of Bath's backline include Anthony Watson and Kyle Eastmond and the young trio of Henry Slade, Jack Nowell and Sam Hill at Exeter Chiefs have all excelled. There are others including Sharples, May and Strettle and I'll leave you to add to this list for it has been quite the season from an attacking perspective.