{"id":703936,"date":"2026-01-18T09:21:09","date_gmt":"2026-01-18T09:21:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/703936\/"},"modified":"2026-01-18T09:21:09","modified_gmt":"2026-01-18T09:21:09","slug":"prem-rugby-team-of-the-season-so-far-freeman-willis-ford","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/703936\/","title":{"rendered":"PREM Rugby Team of the Season So Far: Freeman, Willis, Ford"},"content":{"rendered":"

With the first nine rounds of the 2025\/26 PREM season behind us, here is our take on the Team of the Season so far!<\/strong><\/p>\n

The race for the play-offs is already looking like it\u2019s going the distance, with the top six sides separated by just 11 points at this halfway stage. 2024 champions Northampton Saints find themselves top after the opening nine fixtures, boasting a record of seven wins and a draw in the process, with Bath, Exeter Chiefs and Bristol Bears rounding off the top four.<\/p>\n

There is also an intriguing battle at the foot of the table, too, with Newcastle Red Bulls, Gloucester and Harlequins only separated by five points.<\/p>\n

Without further ado, here is who made our\u00a0PREM<\/a>\u00a0XV at the midway point!<\/p>\n

PREM Rugby Team of the Season So Far<\/p>\n

15 George Hendy (Northampton Saints):\u00a0<\/strong>Has simply exploded into life this season, quickly pushing his name up the England ranks as a result. The elusive back has grown really nicely as the season has gone on, establishing himself as an even more important part of the Saints\u2019 attack with each game too. Around that, being deployed at 15 seems to allow him more space and time on the ball, and crucially in those pockets of broken field where he thrives. That form has once again seen him feature high in the attacking stats for the season, with Hendy sitting 10th for metres (501) and seventh for defenders beaten (30), while also posting five assists and four tries.\u00a0Freddie Steward\u00a0also deserves a namecheck.<\/p>\n

14 Tommy Freeman (Northampton Saints):\u00a0<\/strong>We could easily have had him in two other positions, but there was simply no way we could ignore Freeman after his start to the season. The British and Irish Lions<\/a> tourist looks like a new beast this campaign, be it with 13, 14 or 15 on his back, and has played a huge role in Northampton\u2019s climb to the top of the table. He currently leads the way for tries scored this season, notching nine to date, while also sitting top of the linebreaks charts (21) and the second-most metres (638) across the league. Impressively, he also finds himself eighth for gainline carries (43) \u2013 only the second back in the top 10. Eduardo Todero\u00a0was a close second.<\/p>\n

13 Henry Slade (Exeter Chiefs):\u00a0<\/strong>After a difficult campaign last time out, Slade looks a man reborn this time around. The experienced head seems to have regained his mojo this campaign, looking like the player that won the 2023\/24 PREM Player of the Year award as a result, with some classy touches in this new-look Exeter attack. He also currently leads the point-scoring chart, notching 112 points to date thanks to a haul of six tries and 82 from the boot as well. Ollie Lawrence wasn\u2019t far behind.<\/p>\n

12 Seb Atkinson (Gloucester):\u00a0<\/strong>It\u2019s not been a classic year at Kingsholm, but Atkinson is really going well despite their troubles. The two-capped England international is establishing himself as one of the league\u2019s best ball-carriers this year, sitting fourth for metres across the competition with 107 to his name and fifth for gainline carries too with 50. That tally is also the most of any back. He is also really developing his playmaking skills too, which just adds a nice dynamic to his overall game. Owen Farrell\u00a0also seems to be thriving back at Saracens.<\/p>\n

Gloucester v Toulon: Five takeaways in \u2018men against boys\u2019 contest as only Frenchmen\u2019s \u2018overconfidence\u2019 prevents blowout<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

11 Immanuel Feyi-Waboso (Exeter Chiefs):\u00a0<\/strong>Goodness me have Exeter missed him. The England winger endured a torrid stint with injuries last year, but he\u2019s hit the ground running upon his return for the Chiefs, quickly establishing himself as their key attacking weapon once again. At the time of writing, Feyi-Waboso sits second on the try-scoring charts with eight efforts to his name, while also making 603 metres (the fifth-most in the PREM), beating 39 defenders (fourth-most in the PREM) and notching 18 linebreaks too (fourth-most in the PREM). A really impressive return considering his woes last time out.\u00a0Adam Radwan\u00a0can feel incredibly unlucky to miss out here, though.<\/p>\n

10 George Ford (Sale Sharks): <\/strong>This selection caused some sleepless nights, but the Sale man gets the nod. While Sale might not be in their best form at the moment, the experienced general has just oozed confidence and class in each of his PREM outings to date, which in turn has seen him climb up the England ranks. Around that, he has once again been solid from the tee, and sits third in the points-scoring table at the halfway stage with 69 points to his name. Tom Jordan,\u00a0Harvey Skinner\u00a0and\u00a0Fin Smith\u00a0all warrant a mention.<\/p>\n

9 Alex Mitchell (Northampton Saints):\u00a0<\/strong>Like at fly-half, we\u2019re spoiled for choice at nine with Bristol\u2019s Kieran Marmion\u00a0and Bath\u2019s\u00a0Ben Spencer\u00a0enjoying strong seasons, but we\u2019ve got Northampton scrum-half Mitchell just ahead of them thus far. The Saints ace is once again finding himself as the beating heart of his side\u2019s high-powered attack, setting the tempo with his quick distribution and genuine threat around the fringes of the ruck too. His work in that regard also leaves him top of the assist charts at the halfway stage, with nine to his name thus far.<\/p>\n

The pack<\/p>\n

8 Tom Willis (Saracens):\u00a0<\/strong>While\u00a0Greg Fisilau has steadily become a force for Exeter, Willis has been by far the best player in the PREM to date. Willis has been utterly relentless this season, which becomes even more visible given his side\u2019s inconsistencies. At this stage in the season, he leads the league for carries (134), gainline carries (61), defenders beaten (67) and offloads (18), while also sitting fifth for tackles (112) and fourth for turnovers (10). Just a remarkable start to the season, and will leave Borthwick mourning his switch to France.<\/p>\n

7 Fitz Harding (Bristol Bears):\u00a0<\/b>Flanker is such an area of strength in the PREM right now, and\u00a0the likes of\u00a0Tom Pearson, Juan Martin Gonzalez and Ethan Roots are notable names for selection, but Harding has just taken his game to new heights this season. The Bristol man has been among Bristol\u2019s most consistent performers for some time now, but seems to have come on leaps and bounds since the start of this campaign, pushing his name into the England<\/a> discussion as a result. His stats also make impressive reading, with him leading the tackle count across the league with 138 to his name alongside nine turnovers (the sixth-most in the league).<\/p>\n

6 Miles Reid (Bath):\u00a0<\/strong>Copy and paste the above section here, with so many back-rowers in the mix for this spot, but Reid is another in the form of his life this season. The Bath man, very much like the aforementioned Harding, has been a consistent performer for a number of years now, but seems to be in a real purple patch this year and again is pushing himself into the England picture ahead of the Six Nations. He\u2019s also proving his all-court game, sitting seventh for carries across the league with 89, ninth for gainline carries with 41 and top of the turnover charts with 11 to date. Tom Hooper, Josh Kemeny and\u00a0Henry Pollock\u00a0came close.<\/p>\n

Bath v Edinburgh: Five takeaways as England beckons for Max Ojomoh and \u2018bowling ball\u2019 forward while front-row \u2018party trick\u2019 happens again<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

5 Alex Coles (Northampton Saints):\u00a0<\/strong><\/b>It\u2019s been a big season for Coles, for both club and country, with the towering lock one of the first names in this selection. Coles is another who has just really kicked on this year, and has really grown to become a key part of this Saints side. His workhorse nature has always been an important part of his game, but he\u2019s started to add some really nice attacking flourishes to his game this year, reflected in his tally of five tries. Pedro Rubiolo\u00a0deserves a mention, too.<\/p>\n

4 Dafydd Jenkins (Exeter Chiefs):\u00a0<\/strong><\/b>It\u2019s been a proper captain\u2019s knock from the Welsh international this season, with him spearheading Exeter\u2019s resurgence thus far. Jenkins has been a real tone-setter for the Chiefs\u2019 much-improved efforts this season, particularly in the tight. He is also once again proving himself as one of the league\u2019s best defenders, sitting second in the tackle stats with 137 to his name this season (an average of 15-per-game).\u00a0Ben Bamber\u00a0has also enjoyed a great start to the campaign.<\/p>\n

Want more from Planet Rugby? Add us as a preferred source on Google to your favourites list<\/a> for world-class coverage you can trust.<\/p>\n

3 Thomas du Toit (Bath):\u00a0<\/strong>The World Rugby Dream Team member has been used in a slightly different way this year, but he\u2019s been no less impactful in the Blue, Black and White. Du Toit has once again been a force to be reckoned with across all aspects of his game, and has again crossed the whitewash for fun with three tries in his seven league appearances.\u00a0Trevor Davison\u00a0was a close second.<\/p>\n

2 Gabe Oghre (Bristol Bears):\u00a0<\/strong>Hooker is a hard position to stand out in, but Bristol\u2019s Oghre has done just that this season. The England hopeful has really stepped up to the plate across this season, blending the trademark flicks and tricks that suit Bristol\u2019s attack with some proper grit and steel too. His work in the set-piece has also been exemplary, with him topping the lineout stats at the time of writing with 92\/94 successful throws. Theo Dan\u00a0and\u00a0Tom Dunn\u00a0were not far behind.<\/p>\n

1 Ellis Genge (Bristol Bears):\u00a0<\/strong>The red-hot loosehead joins his front-row colleague in this selection, following a remarkable run of form in the early part of the season. Genge has been at his absolute marauding best in the loose across the campaign, peaking in their recent wins over Harlequins and Sale Sharks, and has backed that up with some strong scrummaging showings too. Beno Obano\u00a0has also impressed for Bath.<\/p>\n

READ MORE: PREM Rugby ins and outs: Every confirmed signing and departure ahead of 2026\/27 season<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"With the first nine rounds of the 2025\/26 PREM season behind us, here is our take on the…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":703937,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4102],"tags":[5012,381,6874,126,5014,12074,225,20795,2466,12,10327,6875,4151,2384,79,16,15],"class_list":{"0":"post-703936","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-rugby","8":"tag-bath","9":"tag-bristol","10":"tag-exeter-chiefs","11":"tag-features","12":"tag-gloucester","13":"tag-harlequins","14":"tag-home-page","15":"tag-leicester-tigers","16":"tag-newcastle","17":"tag-news","18":"tag-northampton-saints","19":"tag-premiership","20":"tag-rugby","21":"tag-sale-sharks","22":"tag-sports","23":"tag-uk","24":"tag-united-kingdom"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@uk\/115915370514246816","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/703936","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=703936"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/703936\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/703937"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=703936"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=703936"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=703936"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}