Voting for the cinch Player of the Month award for May is now open, with supporters able to choose the Saint they believe made the biggest contribution on the pitch throughout the month.
The competition will remain open until Thursday 11 June, when the winning player will be announced by Northampton Saints and cinch.
Throughout the season, cinch are also 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. For May, one lucky winner will receive a Saints ball signed by the winner of this month’s award!
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.
With those clashes in mind, Saints’ coaches have selected four nominees for the monthly award: Alex Coles, Tommy Freeman, George Furbank, Emmanuel Iyogun and Archie McParland.
Coles made his return from injury in some style, making 22 tackles, 16 carries and 49 metres across his two outings – while also marking his comeback with one of Saints’ 14 tries against Bristol.
Freeman’s try-scoring prowess continued into May, as the 25-year-old winger added three more tries to take his tally to 18 for the season to date. The British & Irish Lion also racked up the metres, making 257 off 31 carries in Saints’ three matches – with 135 of those coming against Bristol alone.
The next on our shortlist is club captain Furbank, who 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.
In Saints’ front row, Iyogun has been in stellar form. The loosehead prop impressed with the ball in hand as he made 16 carries across the three matches, while the defensive side of his game saw him make 35 tackles last month.
Our final nominee for May claimed a brace of the Club’s Season Awards at the ceremony earlier this week, and McParland continued the impressive run of form that garnered him Saints’ supporters votes throughout last month. The scrum-half scored two tries against Bristol, while also adding 31 carries and a whopping 179 metres across May.
You can cast your vote below, but please note: only ONE vote per entrant will be counted.