Thesaracens.co.uk Poll 2010.

Once again we are (nearly) at the end of the season and it is your turn to vote for the players that have impressed you most. Please remember these are your awards to so feel free to elaborate on your answers anyway you see fit and don’t worry your names won’t be used so feel free to be as caustic as you like!

Please send all votes to only_one_T@hotmail.com by no later than 31^st May (that’s the Monday after the premiership final)   

1. SARACENS PLAYER OF THE YEAR

Alex Goode strolled through to this award last season and is in with a shout again for the POTY after another consistently excellent season. Ernst Joubert is another one that’s been in the shake up for many of the end of season awards, very much Ernst ‘Who’ when we signed him he’s gone on to have an outstanding season at the base of the scrum, at the back of the lineout, crashing the ball up and just about everywhere.   Andy Saull has had another outstanding season, at the beginning of the season he cased havoc under the breakdown interpretation, later on in the season he’s still causing havoc around the breakdown but charging around paddock ball in hand, Richard Hill was never this quick.  Brad Barritt has been the anchor in the 12 shirt this season and while perhaps being pigeonholed as a bit of a limited player early on in the season has blossomed under the more expansive game showing excellent distribution and an excellent running game to go with his brick wall defence. Captain marvel Steve Borthwick has got to be in with a shout after skippering the side to an unbeaten start to the season. Glen Jackson is still purring away like a classic car, the one you might take out on a warm day.  Did Wikus Van Heerden do enough for you before he left for back home or has late season arrival of Jaques Burger caught your eye where his skills at tackling wilderbeast and Lions in Namibia have been put to good use in the GP since Christmas?!  But can anyone beat early favourite ‘Rugby Player’ extraordinaire Schalk Brits who has torn up the way that a Hooker is supposed to play?  Maybe your favourite isn’t mentioned here, what you waiting for vote for him?  

Glen Jackson in his final season at the club before turning to the dark side is still capable of pulling the strings and opening up opposition defences.  Along side him in the greys dream team would surely come the 57 year old Justin Marshall who has rolled back the years with another season of sparkling performance, no one will forget the look of fear in his eyes as Brits passed the ball during the defeat of Harlequins where he realised he might have to go 40 metres to score! Rod Penny who while being the granddad of the wings probably would have gone 40 metres to score! In the engine room Hugh Vyvyan has been outstanding this season despite  missing a chunk of the season due to injury, and boy was he missed.  Did Carlos Neito do enough for you before his horrible injury at Wembley, or has Fabio made his mark? Will club men Rauluni & Sorrell who have acted as a wonderful players, and ambassador for Saracens as well as fatherly figures for the young players at the club take the award?  Who was your golden oldie?


4. GUINNESS PREMIERSHIP (non Sarries) PLAYER OF THE YEAR:

Some of the rugby has been terrible this year with people favouring a safety first approach and kicking penalties, Northampton were been a beacon of light during this dark period and it’s no surprise that Phil Dowson, Chris Ashton, Ben Foden and Tongauhia have been nominated in a lot of the end of season awards.   The Leicester pack and half backs have also excelled this year.  Ben Youngs and Toby Flood have revelled in the ball secured by the likes of Parling and Cole. Have Luke Watson and Oly Barkley done enough in Baths late surge up the table to get your vote.  Or maybe there is someone else who has been your star performers?

5. INTERNATIONAL PLAYER OF THE YEAR:

The Home nations have been dire this year.  England were like Saracens at the their very worst, only without the wins.  The Scots seemed to have improved, and found some brand new ways of losing at the same time.  The Welsh appear to be their own worst enemies still, 15 mirrors on the pitch is probably enough to secure victory against them.  And the creaking Irish oldies look like they need to rebuild again.  With the South Africans suffering a post Lions hangover surely the best international player will only come from France, New Zealand and Australia?

6. FAVOURITE SARACENS PLAYER: Best hair, best legs or even just the player you think will be best to have a post match pint with... who is your favourite player?


7. BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN OPPOSITION PLAYER AGAINST SARACENS: So was their one player that you wished had pulled a hamstring in the warm up?! Let me remind you of a few… Dan Cole single handedly destroyed our Scrum at the VR in the home game against Leicester while Toby Flood looked every inch an international as he controlled the game for 80 minutes kicking from hand and deadly when going for the posts. Miles Benjamin was a constant thorn in the side when we played against Worcester.  While Watson and Aberdabadbabdabon showed that 6 inches of mud was not enough to stop you playing an open running game if desired.  Fourie was everywhere offside and otherwise for Leeds against us a real pain in the backside as every good 7 should be.  But was their someone else that impressed?  

8. THE "ALBANESE" - WORST PERFORMANCE BY AN OPPOSITION PLAYER AGAINST SARACENS:  

A tail of the two Ryans for me but was there another player who was so dire you actually felt sorry for them?    Ryan Davis should have put Bath out of sight in the home game but it appears his radar was off and resembled more of the targeting system that you associate with the US Airforce bomber squadron.  Having conspired to miss the posts from a variety of field positions, he stepped up to chip an ‘open goal’ penalty over from bang in front of the posts only to pull the ball horribly wide. Bath wheeled on Oly Barkley with his leg in plaster to kick the goals for the second half.  Poor lad I actually felt sorry for him.  The other Ryan I’ve never felt sorry for. Step forward Mr Lamb.  Who after a high profile move from Gloucester to Irish had a stinker for Irish at Twickenham, waving through opposition players down the 10 channel and then proceeding to mislocate banjo and cows arse. He was hauled off after 60 minutes. Shame.  There were plenty to pick from Newcastle and even Wasps entire front row could easily be nominated for this award for their capitulation against at VR.  Do you remember another?      

9. THE MARTIN JOHNSON MEMORIAL LEAST FAVOURITE OPPOSITION PLAYER AWARD: 

With Harry Ellis injured or out of favour for most of the season and Delon Armitage transition from panto villain to acceptable international complete this award is wide open.  Who has had you getting angry by their actions whether that be starting trouble, being an annoying player to watch or maybe just some terrible facial hair?   

10. PLAYER YOU'D MOST LIKE TO JOIN SARRIES FOR NEXT SEASON

Is there anyone you’d like us to sign?  Where are we missing that special something and who can bring it to us?  NB they don’t have to be South African or English!     

PART II: CLUBS

12. WORST 'SOLIDS': The Millennium stadium won last year with six time winner VR pushed into second place.  But where was the worst food/ most expensive or generally rubbish grub this year?    

PART III: MISCELLANEOUS

7. WORST MEDIA PERFORMANCE BY A RUGBY CELEBRITY OR BROADCASTER: The fawning over a certain side, or an unfair kicking from a well know pundit, there were plenty of things that got up my nose but what had you seething?


8. THE MICHAEL GENTLEMAN (SAMUI MAN) CONTRIBUTION TO THESARACENS.COM MESSAGE BOARD:The blue ribbon event the one they all want… last years winner was Edward G but who will this years winner?  Someone who always offers insight, interest and good points to the board or just an argumentative bugger?!