Now that the Championship season has run its course, Jon Newcombe canvassed the views of the league's directors of rugby and head coaches to compile The Rugby Paper's 2021-22 Dream Team
RYAN BURROWS has made it into a record-breaking sixth RFU Championship Dream Team after being voted the outstanding No.8 in the 2021/22 season.
The Yorkshireman was given stiff competition by Rayn Smid of Ealing and Richmond's evergreen Mark Bright but still won the majority of votes to crown his last season of professional rugby.
Coventry captain Burrows went into the season equal with Cornish Pirates co-head coach and former scrum-half, Gavin Cattle, on five Dream Team appearances but the now-retired Championship warrior is now out on his own.
The 34-year-old's first inclusion came at blindside 11 years ago whilst playing for Rotherham, with the rest coming as a No.8 at Leeds/Yorkshire and Coventry – in 2016, 2017, 2020, 2021 and finally this year.
Coventry are one of eight different clubs to have at least one representative in the Championship Dream Team, with only Ampthill, Richmond and London Scottish missing out.
Including Burrows, six players retain their places from last year but none more emphatically than Doncaster captain, Sam Graham, who received votes from either blindside and openside from every single opposition coach. The versatile Graham has been selected at No.6, even though most of his appearances came at seven, to accommodate Ealing's Simon Uzokwe who attracted 50 per cent of the openside votes to complete a powerful-looking back row.
Uzokwe is joined by Championship-winning teammate, scrum-half Craig Hampson. It is Hampson's third appearance having previously been picked whilst at Leeds (2013/14) and also last year as an Ealing player.
Hampson's club half-back partner, Craig Willis, was close to retaining his place, too, but just misses out to the Championship's top points-scorer, Hartpury playmaker James Williams.
Capping what was a fine season for the club, Williams is one of three Hartpury players to make the cut and is another to retain his place from last year, but at flyhalf instead of inside centre.
He is joined by teammates Robbie Smith – who just gets in ahead of 2021 Dream Team outside centre, Max Bodilly, to form a midfield partnership with Doncaster's Mark Best – and lock Cameron Jordan.
Jordan packs down in the second row with another returnee from last year, Cornish Pirates' Danny Cutmore.
Pirates and Jersey have supplied the most Dream Team front rowers since the Championship was introduced in 2009/10, and that is borne out in the make-up of this year's team.
Jersey's James Flynn follows in the footsteps of the likes of Jake Woolmore and Sam Lockwood in getting the number one jersey, with Ampthill's Scotland-bound loosehead Jamie Jack coming a close second. Flynn is accompanied by Reds teammate, Eoghan Clarke after a closerun battle with 2021 Dream Team hooker, George Edgson, while Pat Schickerling is the second Pirate to make the cut at tighthead.
The 2021/22 Dream Team is one full of pace and guile and, unsurprisingly, includes a strong Bedford influence.
New Bristol signing Rich Lane was the standout candidate at full-back, as he was last year, while the prolific Dean Adamson gets picked for the second time having previously won a place in 2018. Completing the electric back-three is Nottingham's David Williams.
A number of Ealing players occupy the bench, with 2021 inductee Max Bodilly particularly unlucky to miss out at outside centre. Callum Sirker of the Cornish Pirates also adds extra firepower, while Toby Venner's eight tries in nine appearances for Hartpury makes him the perfect impact player at nine.
The replacement front row is Jack, Edgson and Lewis Thiede, while Josh Caulfield's versatility won him a number of votes in the loose-five position and Smid, who came so close to getting into the XV for a second consecutive year, has to settle for a place on the bench.
15. RICH LANE (BEDFORD BLUES)
The best Championship fullback by a country mile and fully deserving of a shot at the Premiership with Bristol. A key component of Bedford's and now Bristol's swashbuckling style. Captained the Blues before heading west.
14. DAVID WILLIAMS (NOTTINGHAM)
14 tries in 18 league starts in a struggling team says it all. Reached his club half-century in the win over London Scottish back in February, bringing it up in just 75 appearances. Rapid and a great finisher, even with backfoot ball.
13. ROBBIE SMITH (HARTPURY)
A first inclusion for the pacey centre who has been knocking on the door for a while with his consistently high performances. Played in all but one of Hartpury's game and was a major factor in them finishing in a hugely creditable sixth place.
12. MARK BEST (DONCASTER KNIGHTS)
Now free from injury, Best has been able to show Knights' supporters the sort of form that made him such a big hit at Jersey until a broken arm stopped him in his tracks. Possesses a killer offload as well as a burst of acceleration and bite in the carry.
11. DEAN ADAMSON (BEDFORD BLUES)
Second time in the Dream Team for the Blues try machine who bagged 20 tries in 19 appearances in all competitions and reached his century for the club along the way. Natural finisher who's never lost his knack for crossing the whitewash.
James Williams Hartpury University Craig Willis Ealing Trailfinders Samuel Olver Doncaster Knights Arwel Robson Cornish Pirates William Maisey Bedford Blues James Kane Richmond Russell Bennett Ampthill Steven Shingler Ealing Trailfinders Anthony Fenner Coventry Mark Bright Richmond Eoghan Clarke Jersey Reds Dean Adamson Bedford Blues
Mark Bright Richmond Eoghan Clarke Jersey Reds Simon Uzokwe Ealing Trailfinders Thomas Channon Cornish Pirates Dean Adamson Bedford Blues David Williams Hartpury Rayn Smid Ealing Trailfinders Jan Campher Ealing Trailfinders Ben Cambriani Ampthill Thomas Duncan Bedford Blues Harry Short Jersey Reds Matthew Worley Hartpury University
10. JAMES WILLIAMS (HARTPURY)
Composed and classy playmaker who started every game for Hartpury in the league, 16 of them at fly-half and the rest at centre, and remarkably played in every single minute of the campaign. The Championship's leading points-scorer (150 points) joins Bristol ahead of next season.
9. CRAIG HAMPSON (EALING TRAILFINDERS)
Continues to show his Premiership quality year-on-year. A deserved third inclusion for the 31-year-old former Wasps and Leeds player who was matched vote-for-vote by Toby Venner of Hartpury but gets in on weight of games played.
1. JAMES FLYNN (JERSEY REDS)
Puts it all in and has a good skillset as well as doing the basics well. Another fantastic season from the former Sale Sharks man.
2. EOGHAN CLARKE (JERSEY REDS)
Joint-top try-scorer in the Championship along with Richmond's Mark Bright with an incredible 17 tries. Has a throw that stands up in all weathers. It took something special to keep Edgson out of the team.
3. PAT SHICKERLING (CORNISH PIRATES)
Started the season very strongly and ended up heading back to Exeter to play Champions Cup rugby. Received half of the 10 available votes despite only playing half a season in the Champ.
4. CAMERON JORDAN (HARTPURY)
An exceptional season for the player with links to Gloucester. Performed well in the set-piece but was also very good around the park in a Hartpury team that likes to throw the ball around.
5. DANNY CUTMORE (CORNISH PIRATES)
A real handful in the lineout and imposing in the contact area. Off to Ealing this summer. Honourable mentions to Josh Caulfield, Dale Lemon and Macauley Cook who were also in the mix for a second row spot.
6. SAM GRAHAM (DONCASTER)
Northampton-bound after cleaning up at the end-of-season awards at Doncaster. Immense work-rate in the tackling and carrying stakes, and brilliant at the breakdown as well as taking to leadership very well. No player has ever got more votes than him.
7. SIMON UZOKWE (EALING TRAILFINDERS)
Received half of the votes available after a standout season, Fantastic try-scoring record – with 16 tries – and a destructive ball carrier who puts big dents in opposition defences.
8. RYAN BURROWS (COVENTRY)
The perfect way for ‘Buzz' to bow out as he claims the record for most appearances in the Champ Dream Team. Has made it into the team in each of the three years he's been at Cov' where he quickly established himself as a fans' favourite with his ‘leadfrom-the-front' attitude.
REPLACEMENTS:
George Edgson (Doncaster), Jamie Jack (Ampthill), Lewis Thiede (Ealing), Josh Caulfield (Cornish Pirates), Rayn Smid (Ealing), Toby Venner (Hartpury), Max Bodilly (Ealing), Callum Sirker (Cornish Pirates)
