KIWI OUT-HALF Jimmy Gopperth was named the Rugby Players’ Association’s Player of the Year last night.
The Wasps playmaker, who had a two-year stint at Leinster while Jonathan Sexton played for Racing Metro, took the gong ahead of England international team-mates Elliott Daly and Christian Wade as well as Saracens’ Owen Farrell and Northampton Saints’ Louis Picamoles. Though Farrell did walk away with a prize in the shape of the England Player of Year award.
Gopperth topped the Premiership scoring charts with 266 points, including nine tries and seven try assists while guiding Wasps to finish top of the table. He also played a role at inside centre, notably the Champions Cup quarter-final loss to Leinster, when coach Dai Young opted to play Danny Cipriani in the 10 channel.
Second row Tamara Taylor was crowned Women’s Player of the Year after helping England power to a Grand Slam win over Ireland in Dublin in March.
Lions tourist Ross Moriarty lost out in the Young Player of the Year category to 19-year-old Bath back row Zach Mercer, who also collected a title for the U20s in Donnybrook on St Patrick’s Day.
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Laughable in hindsight that some Dubs thought Madigan was the superior player.
@Rochelle: isn’t hindsight great. Madigan was better back then and Gopperth was worse. So they were atleast par at Leinster.
@Rochelle: The problem was O’Connor and the style of play he was enforcing. People wanted Madigan to play so he could get experience and develop as a player which would have been better long term for Leinster and Ireland. It didn’t happen. Also has Gopperth not being playing 12 for most of the season.
@Rochelle: Dubs?
@Rochelle: That’s a silly comment Rochelle. People’s frustration was that Madigan was not getting proper game time and was being moved around from the bench to 12 to 15 etc. Gopperth was the default 10 and was being asked to play a very limited game plan by MOC. MOC was the issue, if he had any vision perhaps he would have played Madigan at 10 and Gopperth at 12. Don’t forget, Gopperth’s form only really took a massive upswing when he moved to 12 at Wasps.
Hopefully for Madigan the move to Bristol, and working with Lam, might be the making of him. To be fair he never really delivered on his potential, and I think some people are right to place part of the blame for that on MOC.
@Rochelle: Lol you dope. Are you implying that a player cannot improve over time? It has been known that someone can improve their skill set over a few seasons. Imagine that. Trolling effort = N.G. (And the dopes that have green thumbed you.)
@Gary: Or maybe Matt O’Connor saw that Gopperth was a better player. Was then, and still is now. Nothing has changed. Madigan when given opportunities is a very limited player. Good off tee but can’t get a backline moving, tactical kicking isn’t great and hasn’t got great game management. Cream rises to the top. It hasn’t in Madigans case. People need to take a step back and look at it objectively
@Rochelle: jimmy is a 12 and MOC played him at 10 and Madigan at 12. Leinster fans wanted to see Madigan at 10 because he could then push for an Irish shirt at 10.
@Rochelle: tell us about Keatley over JJ
I thought he was excellent at Leinster too, but Madigan mania saw him constantly dissed.
Incorrect, he got players player of the year in Leinster one of the years he was here and fans always liked him and received him well. We just wanted Madigan getting more game time.
Strange sub-headline. Names the Players of the Year. Grand. Names the Women’s Player of the Year. Also Grand. Names one of the presumably dozens of young players to not win the Young Player of the Year and not the winner. Odd.
It’s a shame he didn’t reach the same heights with Leinster
@Michael Horgan: You know he was Leinster player of the year one year.
Well deserved. He’s been excellent for Wasps this season.
you gopperth be kidding me
madigans a bottler