606 Aviva Premiership Dream Team - Hooker

Polls for the props are almost closed:

https://www.606v2.com/t44038-606-aviva-premiership-dream-team-lh-prop
https://www.606v2.com/t44064-606-aviva-premiership-dream-team-th-prop

At the moment the Tigers pair of Ayerza and Cole are just in the lead, despite my votes going to the Bath pair of Wilson and James.

Now we look at who goes in between them.

Schalk Brits 12 starts (3 rep)
Injuries (and AI call up) have limited Brits game time this season, while in truth he has not been his usual effervescent self this season. This will be in part due to the effect of the injuries but also due to a shift in the way Saracens play when Hodgson is at the helm. Remember too we are comparing form this season with the superlative form he has shown in the past. Unlike the views extolled by Yazz and the Plastic Population , the only way is down from there.

Tom Youngs 13 starts
Well you have to say that the last 12 months have been an incredible story for the centre turned hooker. If Hollywood had written the script they would have been mocked, yet it happened. 12 months ago Youngs had never started for Leicester as a hooker yet the former centre (and a winger once for England U20s) was selected by Lancaster to toure SA to hoots of derision. Since then he has earned 9 England caps, featured in a victory over the World Champions, won Player of the Year and been selected for the lions. Has he featured enough in the AP though to win this poll. Will his perceived weakness in the Lineout (though note that only 2 teams had lost less lineouts than Tigers at the end of the regular season - and only one had won more) be outweighed by the cannonball impact he has in the loose? 606 will decide.

Joe Gray 19 starts (2 rep)
Rob Buchanan is now the favoured choice of Stuart Lancaster and a fans favourite. However Joe Gray has been Conor O'Shea's go to man. He featured in the Saxons in Feb, and every time I see him at Quins he plays well. A perceived lack of bulk seems to be why some prefer Buchanan - but for me the Quins scrum and lineout function better when Gray is on the pitch.

Dylan Hartley 16 starts
After captaining England in the 3rd test in SA, an untimely injury saw him lose the starting berth for England to Youngs. For a while this seemed to hit his confidence. However he has certainly found his form towards the end of the season. Selected for the Lions tour it would not surprise me in the slightest were he to start at least one test. At times the Saint's drive of the lineout has been unstoppable and HArtley has been at the centre of it, first with the throw and then directing proceedings from the back and securing 3 tries in the process.

Gloucester have seen hooking duties shared amongst Dawidiuk, Edmonds and Britton with none starting 10 matches.
Exeter meanwhile have shared the duties amongst Whitehead, Yeandle and Clark. None have made enough appearances to be considered.

Lee Mears 13 starts
Rob Webber arrived at the club injured, but his performances since he made his club AP debut in February have been supreme. He could well find himself England's number 1 hooker in 12 months time. however with 8 appearances he does not qualify. Instead we have the ultimate Bath club man Lee Mears. He gave his all for the club across numerous seasons and was still in top form when a hear issue caused him to retire at the start of 2013. He coudl not help being small, but boy did he wring every ounce of talent from that frame.

T Rhys Thomas 13 starts (6 rep)
Tom Lindsay is another fans favourite not too have made the poll due to not playing enough games. Instead we get (no disrespect intended) the journeyman Thomas. He has been sound without shining and moves on in the Summer. Not much more to say.

At London Irish David Paice and Scott Lawson have shared the first team shirt equally, neither making a strong enough case for inclusion.
Sale have shared the duties among several Hookers.

Ed Shervinton 12 starts (4 rep)
Solid, unspectacular. Decent club player but.....

Neil Briggs
One of the stand-outs for London Welsh this season, his performances have earned him a move to Leicester. Dream team contender? Probably not.


Well less real contenders than I had expected. Have fun and let's get a debate going.

I am torn. Brits has not been as good as previous years, Youngs been consistently good - but played less than others, Hartley's form has been patchy, Gray would have been my favoured choice - yet his understudy is selected for England and really the rest are making up numbers.

I may well vote for a tigers player for the first time in these polls.

I've gone for Youngs. Although he hasn't played much in the prem and his darts have been terrible quite a few times I've seen him, I can't see anyone else getting close. Webber has had a blinding end to the season and Mears is Mr. Consistent, but the rise of Youngs can't be ignored

The only hooker who I feel had shown better AP form than Tom Youngs is Buchanan but he hasn't played enough to qualify so role on Youngsy even though I feel his bigger games were in the HEC.

Briggs for me. Youngs has been terrific, but Briggs was one of the reasons Welsh exceeded expectations. His ability to cover in the back row was also invaluable. The fact that Leicester have come sniffing says a great deal.

well i know who blues won't be voting for hehe

Has to be Tom Youngs for me. Aside from some iffy throwing at times - but the ability to throw straight seems to be a lost art these days for all hookers (and next season we'll find out if any of them can actually hook!) - he has been excellent. The awards he has won this year are testament to the season and for me this is probably one of the easiest choices.

On a Glaws front Edmonds has be an excellent acquisition for us. It is a shame we didn't see more of him, he wouldn't have been good enough to claim this vote. He's a poor man's version of Schalk Brits, but that still makes him pretty decent!

Well, I am a Saints supporter and voted for Hartley. But, the reasons are not so parochial.

Yes, I see him play a lot and are almost always impressed. But I am a leadership guy. I believe a good leader can inspire and drive a team. Despite a number of players this season being off form and virtually playing through a fog, here we are one game away from the championship. I think that achievement is on him, and that's why I vote for him for Dream Team Hooker.

Imagine this: Dylan Hartley had a quietly strong season. Nuff said.

Tom Youngs gets my vote.

Briggs for me. He has stood out despite being in a losing team whenever I've seen him play.

Youngs has had a great season, but I feel like a lot of the votes he is getting is based on the fact he is a 'new' hooker and his HEC/England performances, rather than in the league.

Youngs has been great, gets my vote.

Hartley for me, well pretty much joint with Youngs but then they both do very different things and Hartleys is sometimes more difficult to spot. He's also been a very good captain as well.