Nominations For Premiership Rugby Player of the Season 2024/25

With the 2024/25 season of Premiership Rugby drawing to a close, we will soon know who will be crowned champions, who will qualify for the different European competitions and who might be relegated. It is also awards season on an individual level, with different players being recognised as their club’s player of the season, managers vying for recognition and, our focus here, the Premiership Rugby Player of the Season.

That is the biggest, most prestigious prize up for grabs for the stars who have shone in this season’s competition. There is also an award granted to Young Player of the Year, and perhaps surprisingly very few players have managed to claim both that and the main prize during their careers. None of the nominees for the Player of the Season have previously been honoured with the Young Player prize so that is not set to change. But who are the five players with a chance of scooping glory in 2025?

The nominees were announced on the 21st of May and the awards ceremony will take place on the 3rd of June at the Rugby Awards in London. Prizes for Premiership Women’s Rugby, Rugby Players’ Association and also the Rugby Football Union will be handed out at the same time as those for the Premiership Rugby, with this the first time all have been held together.

That means that a raft of awards will be presented on the night, which comes shortly after the regular season has concluded, but before the play-off semis or final. This is always an issue with such honours, and of course the list of nominees was decided much earlier. Nonetheless, the five players below have all enjoyed incredible campaigns thus far and would all make worthy winners.

Thomas du Toit – Bath

Since the sixth round of games, Bath have topped the table, and they are going to finish well clear of the chasing pack. With just one game to go, at the end of May, they have won three more games than any other side and sit 15 points clear at the top of the table. As such, it is no huge surprise that two of their players have been nominated for this prestigious prize. The first of those is South African Thomas du Toit.

The powerful prop, otherwise known as The Tank, is 30 now and seems to be playing better than ever. He only boasts 23 caps for his country but has been superb over the past couple of campaigns for Bath, whom he joined in March of 2023.

He was named in the Premiership Rugby Team of the Season at tighthead last term, though he is capable of playing on either side, and has been even better this time around. He has been a try-scoring revelation at Bath, where he boasts 70 points from 34 games, being particularly potent last term but still registering four tries this time around.

Finn Russell – Bath

Bath’s other representative is Finn Russell and the brilliant Scott, now 32, has been central to Bath’s success. The fly-half’s excellent kicking, ball-handling skills and all-round class mean he may well be the favourite to land this award. Named among the squad for the British & Irish Lions tour to Australia, he also joined his current club in 2023.

He settled in easily at Bath, after spells in France, with Racing 92, and before that with Glasgow Warriors where he showed just how good he was capable of becoming. He co-captained Scotland at the 2024 Six Nations and will hope to bring up a century of caps for his country in the years to come. Nominated for the Player of the Month award in March, his magical play this spring has been very well-timed in terms of his chances of claiming this award – not to mention Bath’s hopes of claiming the title. Being the leading point scorer in the Premiership also rather helps his case!

George Ford – Sale Sharks

George Ford made almost 100 appearances for Bath but joined Sale in 2022, playing for Leicester in between. A mainstay of the England side for over a decade, he has 98 international caps and has won the Premiership twice, both times with the Tigers. Sale sit third with one match to go and with that game coming against struggling Exeter they should have enough to confirm their spot in the play-offs.

They could yet claim glory this term and if they do then they will owe their star fly-half dearly. Having missed out on selection for the Lions he will feel he has a point to prove and that could make him even more dangerous.

Tomos Williams – Gloucester

Tomos Williams has rapidly established himself as a key play for Gloucester, having joined the West Country outfit at the start of the season. The scrum-half had previously spent a decade at Cardiff, not far from his Treorchy birthplace. Back in 2018, he scored what was named the try of the season for his former club against his current one, in the Challenge Cup final. His career has not quite progressed as he might have dreamed it would back then but in 2025 he earned a first call-up for the Lions.

That is thanks to some great performances for a Gloucester side who could yet make the top four. He has notched eight tries and managed 23 line-breaks this season and is one of a very small number of players to be nominated for Player of the Month twice. He missed out in October but won that prize in March and he is another coming into form at the right time.

Tom Willis – Saracens

🗳️ Tom Willis has been nominated for Gallagher Player of the Season!

Congratulations, Tom 👏#YourSaracens💫

— Saracens Rugby Club (@Saracens) May 21, 2025

English number eight Tom Willis is the youngest of the nominees at 26 and is the younger brother of Jack. Both have played for their country and if Tom is triumphant in this year’s award, that is another honour they will share, after Jack’s win in 2019/20 (when he was also named Young Player of the Year, the only man to have achieved that double).

Saracens are level on points with Gloucester and both could yet make the play-offs, though they face Bath in their final game of the season. Willis has scored six tries for Sarries (all competitions) this season and also got his first for England at the Six Nations in March. He has been hugely consistent and this could be a breakout campaign for him.