606 AP Team of The Yeas - Centres

The pack has been chosen:

https://www.606v2.com/t28220-aviva-premiership-team-of-the-year-606-version-lh-prop
https://www.606v2.com/t28278-606-s-aviva-premiership-team-of-the-year-hooker
https://www.606v2.com/t28265-606-s-aviva-premiership-toty-th-prop
https://www.606v2.com/t28345-606-s-aviva-premiership-toty-second-row
https://www.606v2.com/t28520-606-s-ap-team-of-the-year-openside-flanker
https://www.606v2.com/t28473-ap-team-of-the-year-606-picks-the-blindside-flanker
https://www.606v2.com/t28553-606-s-ap-team-of-the-year-number-8

Marler, Brits, Johnston
Kohn, robson
Johnson, Easter, Robshaw

Voting for Half backs is still open:

https://www.606v2.com/t28672-606-ap-team-of-the-year-scrum-half
https://www.606v2.com/t28673-606-ap-team-of-the-year-stand-off

With Peel and Flood just ahead of Thomas & Evans.

So on to the centres. Rather than doing then separately we will have a single poll. In the main this is due to so many of the candidates playing in both positions.

Candidates:

Harlequins - A strong showing at times by Matt Hopper has been unable to shift JTH and George Lowe from there first choice berths. JTH with 19 starts, England bench duty, and 2 tries has been for much of the season the main man. Thing is the more he plays the more one-dimensional he seems. On top form can be amazing, but seems to prefer running into contact rather than space and has hands made of stone. George Lowe (16 starts, 3 tries) is breathing right down Manu's neck. Many pundits would prefer him in the England team, and on AP form that may not be unfair.

Leicester - Tigers have had all sorts of injury problems in the centre. Anthonty Allen has missed much of the season with first a DIY related thumb injury, then a knee problem. His form is now pretty good and having started half the AP regular season matches just qualifies. Manu is slowly returning to his best form, some great runs and tidy offloads at the weekend plus a couple of bone-shaking tackles on Matt Banahan. Billy Twelvetrees has covered centre and 10 with equal aplomb scoring 5 tries in his 17 appearances. Glaws are getting a gem of a player.

Sarries - Brad Barritt has maintained his form in a faltering Sarries back line. Is now England's first choice 12 and ddid not look out of place in the international game. While defence is the strongest part of his game, Mike Catt reckons his passing is much better than we have seen so far in appearances in the white of England or Black of Sarries. 15 starts and 3 tries. Owen Farrell may wear 13 for Sarries, but he is no outside centre so is not short listed. Go sue me.

Saints - George Pisi he may not be a full back as Priestland demonstrated, however his performances in the centre have rightly seen him nominated for the RPA player of the year award. A barnstorming centre with good feet, nice hands and a good turn of pace. As you would expect from a Samoan does not shirk the tackling duties. (15 appearances, 2 tries). James Downey will be missed by #Saints, but has not been in top form this season.

Exeter - Every time I see Naqelevuki play he has been fantastic. However with just 8 starts he is ineligible. Jason Shoemark has been an absolute rock in the Exeter midfield. an intelligent player who just seems to do the right thing at the right time.

Sale - For 21 matches Sale tended to pick polynesian centres. They have generally been fairly predictable in attack, either boshing the ball up the middle or acting as decoy runners to give space for the APs leading try scorer, Rob Miller. es Munster/Worcester centre Sam Tuitupo has been the pick of the bunch.

London Irish - Dan bowden has played across the back line. Joe Ansbro has hardly been seen. Steve Shigler started the season well, but performances faded after the eligibility row. Star man is latest fan's favourite Jonathan Joseph. With 6 tries in 14 appearances, has he played his way onto the SA plane?

Bath - with Barkley blowing more cold than hot, other than an honourable mention to Sam Vesty who has now prompted a million YouTube hits and may have saved Wasps from plunging out of the League and existence.

Glaws - Some fantastic centres who for various reasons have not shown enough to be nominated.

Worcester - honourable mention to Dale Rassmussen

Wasps - some prominent displays from Elliot Daly who joins George Ford in being left out of the JWC to rebuild for next season.

Newcastle - Honourable mention to fitzpatric who needs to add some subtleties to his game.

From being a position of concern for England over the last few years...we are now building a position of strength here Tiger.

Im glad you mention Fitzpatrick mate...because whilst we have been very poor...he has been a shining light....a powerhouse...

Lowe has been excellent...

12 Fitzpatrick
13 Lowe

for me....

GeordieFalcon wrote:From being a position of concern for England over the last few years...we are now building a position of strength here Tiger.

Im glad you mention Fitzpatrick mate...because whilst we have been very poor...he has been a shining light....a powerhouse...

Lowe has been excellent...

12 Fitzpatrick
13 Lowe

for me....

I wil bear that in mind ( i forgot to put a someone else option). In the meantime you can vote for Lowe.

I have gone Pisi and for now 36, though I am torn at 12 and may change my mind.

Lots of options...and not just the same style...

And not long ago we had Hape and Tindall .....

12 - Barritt. If picking on current form would have voted Allen but over the entire season feel Barritt edges it. Saracens always seem a much weaker team when he doesn't play. On current form though Allen is a must to tour SA.

13 - Pisi. Being a Saints fan he is the only Northampton player I have voted for. Obviously not a full back (he was originally signed as a back up to Foden) but has been the stand out 13 in the league for me. LT's description is spot on. Again on current form Lowe would be pushing him close and I feel he should go to SA as back up to Tuilagi.

On AP form, I went for Allen and Pisi, but I am getting utterly sick of the myth that JTH can't pass or handle. Most of the years he's played in the AP he has been at or near the top of the offloads table, and in the last two seasons he has added a blisteringly quick pass. I suspect that the myth persists because he doesn't use it that often - Quins ask him to take the contact, and it hasn't worked that badly for them, has it?

I'd like to see him played in a team with a different attacking style - the midweek team in SA, perhaps? - and see if he can play a more creative role. We may get a glimmer of something different in the playoffs - he's popped up on the wing a couple of times in recent matches, which he's nor done before and makes me think that COS has some new tactics up his sleeve.

I have never seen JTH pass the ball - though I make a difference between passing and offloading. (note I rarely see Allen pass either and think he is too one dimensional for international duty). I have seen JTH drop too many balls.

I never saw most of what Richard Hill did right. Doesn't mean he didn't do it.

Poorfour wrote:I never saw most of what Richard Hill did right. Doesn't mean he didn't do it.

I am sure JTH is magic in rucks and mauls

I went for Twelvetrees and Pisi. Pisi has been bang in form for most of the season (at least when not at fullback) and Twelvetrees set the record for the most points scored by a single player in a game for Tigers twice. Allen misses out because he only came into any sort of form after the LV Cup had finished and as brilliant as that form is, it's a bit late. Lowe was very close to Pisi in the running for OC.

I went for Barritt and Lowe.

As to JTH he is very good for Quins but at the moment I don't really see anything to make me think he should overtake Barritt at international level. Like a few of the big guys in the prem(Tindal, Banahan, Tuilagi) he seems to fade in and out of matches and loses concentration leading to dropped balls and poor body angles when taking contact.

Allen's impact over the last couple of weeks has really transformed Leicester. While he has only really been involved in the latter half of the season, the effect of his contribution surely merits inclusion. How he has been overlooked by the national selectors for so long is beyond me, he is the balanced 12 we have been crying out for over the last few seasons. The only thing he lacks is a strong kicking game but I'd take a 12 who can carve open a defence any day. In the modern game all half-backs and full-backs are strong kickers, and most wingers too, so I don't think it is a flaw in his game anyway. I'd get him straight in the test team vs. SA. Before Harlequins vs. Leicester I might have leaned towards 36 at 12 for early season contribution in what was a relatively poor side at the time but now Allen shades it.

Pisi at 13 is an easy choice, the shining light in a relatively disappointing season for the Saints.

I went for Barritt who has seemed to be the difference for Sarries all season- he makes their defence and as the gameplan revolves around that, he is vital to this Sarries team. If Allen hadn't been injured, he'd have gotten it.

I also went for Lowe, as I'm biased and he has been great in defence and attack since his return

Barritt - because he's so important to Saracens.

Pisi - great first season for Saints.

Lowe and Joseph are strong contenders for the 13 shirt though.