There will be new names all round on the Principality Premiership roll of honour tomorrow evening (Wednesday) when the fifth annual Principality Premiership awards dinner takes place.
Alun Wyn Jones, Tom James, Ashley Beck and Jason Tovey are just some of the names on the previous winners list, which gives every indication of the potential within the Principality Premiership.
Blues, Wales and Lions centre Jamie Roberts, a one time Principality Premiership monthly award winner himself, will present the Best Player award at the Millennium Stadium to one of the following players: Andrew Coombs (Newport), Scott Williams (Llanelli) or Joe Ajuwa (Llandovery), while WRU National Academy Manager Phil Davies will announce the winner of the Best Newcomer award from the following list – Hanno Dirksen (Swansea), Toby Faletau (Cross Keys), Dan Fish (Glamorgan Wanderers).
Newport captain Coombs, still only 25, played a huge role for his club again this season. He scored four league tries and one in the cup but more than that, really led from the front on and off the field. His performances earned him a call-up for the Dragons towards the end of the season, playing six times for Paul Turner’s side.
Llanelli centre Williams rose to prominence during the Under 20 Six Nations as one of the outstanding Wales performers. He also score four league tries for Llanelli and won the man of the match award in his side’s SWALEC Cup final victory. Scott is preparing to leave for Argentina for this season’s IRB Junior World Championship.
Llandovery wing Ajuwa scored eight league tries plus three in the Play-Off Championship and was called up to the Scarlets in his first season in Wales.
Dirksen made great strides in the second half of the season for Swansea, scoring his first try in the 14th game, but quickly taking his total to 12 in the final 13 league games. Faletau impressed for Cross Keys and Wales Under 20, earning himself a place in the Dragons side for the second half of the season, while Fish also enjoyed a rapid rise in fortunes, catching the eye of observers of his Glamorgan Wanderers side, along with performing consistently well for Wales Under 20. Both Dan and Toby join Williams on the plane to Argentina this weekend.
WRU Head of Rugby, Performance and Development Joe Lydon will present the Best Coach Award to Richard Webster (Swansea), Rob Appleyard (Llandovery) or James Chapron (Pontypool).
Former dual code Wales international Webster helped Swansea to their best Premiership finish since the start of semi-professional rugby, pushing Neath all the way to the end of the season and finishing in second place. They followed up on that finish by reaching the final of the inaugural Play-Off Championship where they drew 22-22 with Neath, losing out on try count to the Welsh All Blacks.
Rob Appleyard helped his Llandovery side to a place in next season’s British and Irish Cup. The side secured a place in the Play-Offs by ending the league season in eighth place and beat Aberavon in Round One to win the coveted spot, while Chapron’s Pontypool side managed to secure Premiership status and recorded a number of big name scalps on the way including Newport, Llanelli and Swansea.
WRU Head of Rugby Performance and Development Joe Lydon said, “It has been a tough year for the Principality Premiership clubs due to the number of games played, partly because of the clubs’ request to have regular home and away fixtures and a cross-border competition hence the introduction of the British and Irish Cup and the Play-Off Championship. Those competitions have had a beneficial effect on a lot of clubs but have also stretched clubs too which was to be expected.
“The Principality Premiership provides a great platform on which to develop players and the players shortlisted for awards are just some of those who have stood out this year. As with players who have previously picked up these awards, the opportunity is now there for them and it is down to the players themselves to take that opportunity and step up to the next level.
“Along with the outstanding young performers, Premiership clubs also need a hard core of experienced and consistent performers around whom teams can be built and those players are also recognised by way of the annual awards.”
Other awards presented on the evening include the Services to Rugby award which recognises the hard work performed week in week out by club officials and volunteers, and the Fair Play award which focuses on the treatment of match officials. Awards will also be presented to the top scorer and top try scorer of the Principality Premiership season.
The names of the winners will be released on embargo tomorrow afternoon (Wednesday).
