Sinbad the ablest seaman
Gloucester's flying winger James Simpson-Daniel claimed the title of Guinness Premiership Player of the Season at a star-studded awards ceremony on Wednesday at the Great Hall, Stamford Bridge, home of Chelsea FC.
Gloucester's flying winger James Simpson-Daniel claimed the title of Guinness Premiership Player of the Season at a star-studded awards ceremony on Wednesday at the Great Hall, Stamford Bridge, home of Chelsea FC.
Simpson-Daniel has been a key figure for Gloucester since making his debut in 2000. Since then he has played over 100 Premiership matches for the cherry and whites, scoring 41 tries.
This season he achieved his best league total ever, with ten tries in his 18 Guinness Premiership appearances, including a try of the season contender against Bath in Round 22 and one in their semi-final defeat to Leicester Tigers.
That try confirmed Simpson-Daniel as Gloucester's top scorer and the second highest scorer in the league.
Surgery on a niggling shoulder injury will prevent Simpson-Daniel from adding to his tally of ten England caps in New Zealand, but he will hope to continue his excellent form for Gloucester into next season and play his way into contention for the November Tests.
In second place was Bath's Olly Barkley, who played a massive part in the renaissance of the former English champions, helping them to third place in the league and victory in the European Challenge Cup. Barkley's form has seen him force his way back into the England reckoning and he will tour New Zealand this summer.
In third was Gloucester flanker Akapusi Qera. In his first season of Guinness Premiership rugby, the Fijian has taken the league by storm, impressing all with his pace and physicality in both attack and defence.
Also honoured was Danny Cipriani who claimed the title of Land Rover Discovery of the Season.
Ciprinai's season was cruelly cut short a fortnight ago when he suffered a fracture dislocation of his ankle in his side's Guinness Premiership semi-final win against Bath at Adams Park.
Prior to that, Cipriani had lit up the Guinness Premiership and Heineken Cup with his intelligent play at fly-half, finishing the season with the most try assists of any player in the league and contributing six tries of his own, and he ousted Jonny Wilkinson from England's Six Nations side in March.
Under Cipriani's youthful stewardship, London Wasps have steadily climbed the table, winning nine of their last ten matches to finish the league in second place, before beating Bath to claim their first Premiership Final place since 2005.
Injury prevented Cipriani from attending the awards in person, but was presented with a Land Rover Freelander to use for the next twelve months at his home in south-west London yesterday morning.
It was an award double for Cipriani as he also claimed the PRA Young Player award last week.
“I'm delighted to receive the Land Rover Discovery of the Season award,” he said.
“I would like to thank my team mates at Wasps – the forwards for providing me with a solid platform and the backs for their support outside me.
“It has been an incredible season so hopefully we can finish it off in style this weekend at Twickenham. I am looking forward to getting back on my feet and to driving my new car.”
Cipriani beat Sale Sharks' Ben Foden into second and Harlequins' Danny Care into third. Both will hope to emulate Cipriani by winning England caps in the near future and Care will have the opportunity to do so this summer when he tours New Zealand with the full England side.
Gloucester Director of Rugby Dean Ryan was honoured for his work with the league leaders this season by taking the title of O2 Director of Rugby of the Season.
Gloucester were top of the table for 21 of the 22 rounds, finishing the season as the league's second highest try scorers. They also reached a Heineken Cup quarter-final where they were knocked out by eventual champions, Munster.
Ryan has overseen the growth and continued development of his squad, based on a core of talented young English players like Simpson-Daniel, but also Nick Wood, Luke Narraway, Ryan Lamb, Anthony Allen and Olly Morgan. This season, Ryan has added to that with astute signings like Guinness Premiership Player of the Season nominee Akapusi Qera and Guinness Premiership Player of the Month in December, Alasdair Strokosch.
Ryan beat Bath's Steve Meehan to the award, with Harlequins' Dean Richards finishing third.
Worcester Warriors' Kai Horstmann won the MBNA Try of the Season Award for finishing off what was a length of the pitch effort by Worcester at Edgeley Park on Friday 29 February.
Starting from under their own posts, Shane Drahm broke clear, before Worcester recycled the ball on the left and Thinus Delport sent over a long cross-field kick which Marcel Garvey tapped down for Horstmann to finish.
James Simpson-Daniel's effort against Bath in Round 22 came second, with Fraser Waters' try against Leeds Carnegie on Sunday 30 September 2007 finishing third.
The Times Team Performance of the Season was presented by The Times' rugby correspondent David Hands to London Wasps for their epic 34-42 win over Bath Rugby at the Recreation Ground on Saturday 16 February, a match regarded by many as the match of the season.
London Wasps also claimed another award as their fly-half Dave Walder won the EDF Energy Community Player of the Season.
Walder arrived at London Wasps with a reputation as a strong supporter of community rugby and this has been borne out by his unstinting work this season.
Most notably, he was so moved by working with a young girl who was hearing impaired at Newcastle, that he has now completed a sign language course so he can communicate more effectively with other similar children.
Walder epitomises all that is best in professional rugby players by providing motivation and inspiration for all the children he meets.
Leicester Tigers' Tom Varndell claimed the Coral Top Try Scorer of the Season award, the second time in three seasons he has finished top of the try scoring standings.
Sale Sharks' Charlie Hodgson won the Gilbert Golden Boot for his league leading tally of 201 points from the boot.
Finally, Bath's Danny Grewcock was named as captain of the Sky Sports Dream Team as selected by Sky Sports analysts Stuart Barnes, Will Greenwood and Dewi Morris. Oddly, James Simpson-Daniel did not make the cut!
The award winners in full:
Guinness Premiership Player of the Season
James Simpson-Daniel, Gloucester, (winner)
Olly Barkley, Bath, (second placed)
Akapusi Qera, Gloucester, (third placed)
Land Rover Discovery of the Season
Danny Cipriani, London Wasps, (winner)
Ben Foden, Sale Sharks, (second placed)
Danny Care, Harlequins, (third placed)
O2 Director of Rugby of the Season
Dean Ryan, Gloucester, (winner)
Steve Meehan, Bath, (second placed)
Dean Richards, Harlequins, (third placed)
MBNA Try of the Season
Kai Horstmann, Sale Sharks v Worcester Warriors, Friday 29 February 2008, (winner)
James Simpson-Daniel, Gloucester v Bath, Saturday 10 May 2008 (second