Ollie Lawrence: Bath centre named Premiership player of the season
- Published
Centre Ollie Lawrence scored five tries for Bath this season after joining from Worcester last autumn
Centre Ollie Lawrence has been named as Premiership player of the season after a standout campaign for Bath.
The 23-year-old England international joined Bath in October initially on a short-term loan following the collapse of Worcester Warriors.
He signed a "long-term deal" with the club just over a week later.
Saracens' Mark McCall was named the league's director of rugby of the season, after he led the club to the top of the table.
London Irish flanker Tom Pearson won the breakthrough player of the season award after helping the club to fifth place - their highest place in the table since the 2008-09 campaign.
Bath started the season at the bottom of the Premiership on a run of seven consecutive defeats.
But they secured a place in next year's Champions Cup in their final match, with Lawrence scoring the final try in their win over Saracens which moved Bath up to eighth in the table.
Lawrence, who won four of his 11 caps for England during this year's Six Nations, scored five tries in total for Bath across 12 league appearances.
He was nominated alongside Saracens and Sale fly-halves Owen Farrell and Rob du Preez and Leicester back-rower Jasper Wiese.
"They gave me a second chance, looking at my career and seeing what I wanted to do with it. I think the hunger and the motivation for me was to be one of the best players in this country and in the league," Lawrence said.
"I've been given an opportunity and I couldn't not take it. I just threw myself in there. I was fortunate that I had some really good friends at Bath so that settled me in quite well.
"That desperation of knowing that I could not have a job at all - some of my best mates still don't now. So then to be here now is pretty special."
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