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Leicester, Northampton dominate 2022/23 Premiership Dream Team XV
By Liam Heagney
Leicester and Northampton have led the way in the 2022/23 Gallagher Premiership Dream Team, the East Midlands rivals getting three players each selected on the XV chosen by a BT Sport selection panel. Nine of the 11 clubs that finished the financially-hit tournament’s regular season – Wasps and Worcester didn’t make it past the first month – had representatives picked, with only Heineken Champions Cup semi-finalists Exeter and ninth-place Bristol missing out.
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Tigers forwards Julian Montoya, George Martin and Jasper Wiese made the cut, as did the Saints trio of Fraser Dingwall, Alex Mitchell and David Ribbans. Leicester, who are on their travels this Sunday in the Premiership semi-final, will come up against a Sale side that had two players named in the Dream Team – Joe Carpenter and Rob du Preez.
The other semi-finalists Saracens, who host Northampton on Saturday, also had two players selected, tighthead Marco Riccioni and back-rower Ben Earl.
A statement read: “The Gallagher Premiership Rugby season has brought no shortage of impressive individual showings and the BT Sport selection panel have been hard at work selecting their 2022/23 Dream Team.
“Their final selections, revealed at the Premiership Rugby Awards presented by Gallagher, saw no less than nine teams represented. East Midlands duo Leicester Tigers and Northampton Saints lead the way with three players apiece making up part of the coveted XV.
“All three Tigers stars are in the pack, with Julian Montoya, George Martin and Jasper Wiese all selected. Montoya packs down between props Val Rapava-Ruskin, Gloucester Rugby’s sole representative, and Saracens’ Marco Riccioni.
“Martin is joined in the second row by Saints ace David Ribbans, while Earl is joined by two players who were nominated for individual awards in the back row – Tom Pearson, who won the breakthrough player of the season award, and Gallagher player of the season nominee Jasper Wiese.
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“Robert du Preez joined Wiese on that shortlist and is selected at fly-half as one of two Sale Sharks players in the back line, with full-back Joe Carpenter also integral to leading Alex Sanderson’s side to their first home semi-final since 2006.
“Ollie Lawrence, who was voted Gallagher player of the season nominee, joins Fraser Dingwall in midfield while the top two try scorers in 2022/23, Harlequins’ Cadan Murley and Newcastle Falcons flyer Mateo Carreras, are on the wings.
“Both players walked away with individual awards from the evening, Murley picking up the top try scorer prize after crossing 15 times across the season – two clear of Carerras, who picked up the try of the season prize for his superb solo effort against Northampton in round six.
“Saints’ Alex Mitchell, meanwhile, is selected at scrum-half following a string of excellent displays in the number nine jersey.
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BT Sport Dream Team 2022/23
15. Joe Carpenter (Sale Sharks)
14. Cadan Murley (Harlequins)
13. Ollie Lawrence (Bath Rugby)
12. Fraser Dingwall (Northampton Saints)
11. Mateo Carreras (Newcastle Falcons)
10. Robert du Preez (Sale Sharks)
9. Alex Mitchell (Northampton Saints)
1. Val Rapava-Ruskin (Gloucester Rugby)
2. Julian Montoya (Leicester Tigers)
3. Marco Riccioni (Saracens)
4. George Martin (Leicester Tigers)
5. David Ribbans (Northampton Saints)
6. Ben Earl (Saracens)
7. Tom Pearson (London Irish)
8. Jasper Wiese (Leicester Tigers)
