George Furbank has been named cinch Player of the Month for May, after pipping his fellow nominees to top the voting as his appearances throughout the month impressed Northampton Saints supporters.
Saints began May with a disappointing Derby Day defeat at Leicester Tigers (41-17), but bounced back in some style as they scored some 14 tries in a record-breaking 94-33 victory over Bristol Bears in Round 16.
After a week’s hiatus while the Investec Champions Cup Final took place, Northampton continued their winning run at cinch Stadium at Franklin’s Gardens – defeating Gloucester Rugby (36-32) with a dramatic late winner that sealed their home tie in the Gallagher PREM playoffs with a week to spare.
And club captain Furbank, enjoyed flying form in his penultimate month as a Saint. Some 43 carries across his three outings saw him make 221 metres with the ball in hand, before a decisive final score sealed Northampton’s dramatic win over Gloucester in Furbank’s final home clash of the regular season.
The voting went right down to the wire as Furbank just emerged as the winner, beating Alex Coles, Tommy Freeman, Emmanuel Iyogun and Archie McParland to the award.
Throughout the season, cinch will also be offering up a range of prizes for those who vote for the award, with one lucky supporter each month selected at random after voting closes.
This month, Janet Heeler was chosen out of nearly 500 supporters who voted – winning a Saints ball signed by this month’s winner, George Furbank.