Northampton Saints’ name appears throughout the shortlists for honours at The Rugby Awards 2026 this term.
For the second season running, PREM Rugby, the Rugby Players Association (RPA), Premiership Women’s Rugby (PWR) and Rugby Football Union (RFU) have joined forces to celebrate the best of English Rugby at The Rugby Awards, presented by Gallagher.
And Saints’ stars will be up for some top prizes on Wednesday 10 June in the awards ceremony at Old Billingsgate in London.
For the first time TNT Sports and HBO Max will broadcast the black-tie event, live from 9pm, with hosts Craig Doyle and Emma Dodds joined by roving reporter David Flatman offering viewers exclusive access and interviews with the biggest names in the sport from the red carpet.
Tommy Freeman dominates Saints’ haul of nominations, appearing among the shortlists for the both Gallagher PREM Top Try Scorer and Player of the Season awards, as well as the England Men’s Player of the Season – an award the British & Irish Lions winger took home last year after his efforts for the Red Rose.
The PREM Breakthrough Player of the Season is another award that came back to Northampton after last year’s voting, with Henry Pollock the recipient following his stellar season in Black, Green and Gold last term.
This season Archie McParland and Edoardo Todaro are in the running to follow in Pollock’s footsteps, as they are named amongst the four-player shortlist alongside Kepu Tuipulotu (Bath Rugby) and Noah Caluori (Saracens).
Tom James is nominated for the league’s Community Player of the Season, recognised for his contributions to the local community through his role as a Programme Ambassador for Northampton Saints Foundation.
Saints will also hope to be in the running for the PREM’s Try of the Season gong, with the shortlist for that award set to be confirmed after the conclusion of Round 18.
The final award Northampton are in the running for is the Gallagher PREM Director of Rugby of the Season, with Phil Dowson named among the nominees after having led his side to the league’s play-off places with two matches to spare.
The shortlists for the Gallagher PREM Rugby awards were chosen by a panel consisting of Christian Day (RPA), Jill Douglas (ITV, BBC), Ali Eykyn (TNT Sports), Hugh Godwin (The i Paper), Chris Jones (BBC), Alex Lowe (The Times), Ugo Monye (BBC, TNT Sports), Nick Mullins (TNT Sports), Charles Richardson (Telegraph), and Claire Thomas (BBC, TNT Sports).
The winners of the Gallagher Player of the Season and Breakthrough Player of the Season, presented by Defender, will be determined following a player vote.
Loughborough Lightning have also received a host of nominations. Camela Morrall and Haineala Lutui are among the nominees for the PWR Breakthrough Player of the Season, while Sadia Kabeya is named on the shortlist for England Women's Player of the Season accolade.
THE RUGBY AWARDS 2026 SHORTLISTS:
Gallagher Player of the Season:
- Tommy Freeman (Northampton Saints)
- Billy Searle (Leicester Tigers)
- Ben Spencer (Bath Rugby)
- Tom Willis (Saracens)
PWR Player of the Season, presented by Canterbury:
- Olivia Apps (Saracens)
- Maud Muir (Gloucester Hartpury)
- Clàudia Peña (Harlequins)
- Emma Sing (Gloucester Hartpury)
Gallagher PREM Breakthrough Player of the Season, presented by Defender:
- Noah Caluori (Saracens)
- Archie McParland (Northampton Saints)
- Edoardo Todaro (Northampton Saints)
- Kepu Tuipulotu (Bath Rugby)
PWR Breakthrough Player of the Season, presented by The British Army:
- Niamh Gallagher (Trailfinders Women)
- Haineala Lutui (Loughborough Lightning)
- Camela Morrall (Loughborough Lightning)
- Sarah Parry (Harlequins)
Gallagher PREM Director of Rugby of the Season, presented by London Pride:
- Rob Baxter (Exeter Chiefs)
- Phil Dowson (Northampton Saints)
- Geoff Parling (Leicester Tigers)
- Johann van Graan (Bath Rugby)
PWR Director of Rugby of the Season, presented by Gallagher:
- Alex Austerberry (Saracens)
- Tom Hudson (Sale Sharks)
- Barney Maddison (Trailfinders Women)
- Dan Murphy (Gloucester Hartpury)
Gallagher PREM Top Try Scorer, presented by Christopher Ward (*as of Round 16):
- Henry Arundell (Bath) – 12
- Kalaveti Ravouvou (Bristol) – 12
- Tommy Freeman (Northampton) – 15
- Noah Caluori (Saracens) – 18
To be determined following the conclusion of Gallagher PREM Round 18 on Saturday 6 June.
PWR Top Try Scorer, presented by eToro (*as of Round 16):
- Mia Venner (Gloucester Hartpury) – 11
- Bo Westcombe-Evans (Loughborough Lightning) – 10
- Rhona Lloyd (Sale Sharks) – 11
- May Campbell (Saracens) – 12
To be determined following the conclusion of PWR regular season.
Gallagher PREM Try of the Season, presented by TNT Sports & PWR Try of the Season:
The shortlist, selected by the media panel, will be finalised following the conclusion of Gallagher PREM Round 18.
The winner will be determined by a public vote, closing on Tuesday 9 June.
Gallagher PREM Community Player of the Season, presented by Funding Circle:
- Sebastian de Chaves (Newcastle Falcons)
- Tom Dunn (Bath Rugby)
- Will Hobson (Harlequins)
- Tom James (Northampton Saints)
The winner of the Community Player of the Season was voted for by the employees of Funding Circle.
England Men’s Player of the Season, presented by British Airways:
- Ollie Chessum (Leicester Tigers)
- Ben Earl (Saracens)
- Tommy Freeman (Northampton Saints)
- Joe Heyes (Leicester Tigers)
England Women’s Player of the Season, presented by LexisNexis Risk Solutions:
- Amy Cokayne (Sale Sharks)
- Zoe Harrison (Saracens)
- Sadia Kabeya (Loughborough Lightning)
- Meg Jones (Trailfinders Women)
The RPA Personal Development Awards:
- Kieran Verden & Josh Bayliss (Bath Rugby)
- Christ Tshiunza (Exeter Chiefs)
- Natasha Hunt & Zoe Stratford (Gloucester Hartpury)
- Emeke Ilione (Leicester Tigers)
All recipients will be acknowledged on the night.
The RPA Blyth Spirit Award
The recipient will be announced at the ceremony.