Rugby Awards honour 4 British and Irish Lions

Gloucester’s Tomos Williams has made history by becoming the first scrum-half and first Wales international to be named Premiership Player of the Season at the Rugby Awards on Tuesday evening.

Williams has been one of the main driving forces behind Gloucester’s much-improved season, with his form earning him a British and Irish Lions call-up for this summer’s trip to Australia.

One of only two Welshmen in Andy Farrell’s squad, Williams beat off strong competition from George Ford, who the Lions have overlooked despite a great season with Sale Sharks, Bath’s Springbok prop Thomas du Toit and club team-mate Finn Russell, and Saracens star Tom Willis.

None of the 20 previous winners, listed at the bottom of the article, played scrum-half.

Williams’ soon-to-be Lions teammate, Henry Pollock, was recognised as the Breakthrough Player of the Year for the impact he has made for club and country. Pollock was brilliant in Saints’ run to the final of the Investec Champions Cup, during which time he won his first senior cap for England, marking the occasion with two tries against Wales.

Meanwhile, Tommy Freeman, who will join Pollock and Williams in Australia, was named as England’s best men’s player. Freeman became the first England player to score in each round of the Six Nations in 2025.

A fourth Lion, Bristol’s Ellis Genge, received an award for his outstanding work in the community.

There’s only one Henry Pollock!

UNREAL season for the young star 👏

✅ Saints new star
✅ First England cap
✅ Lions call up#TheRugbyAwards #GallagherPrem | @Defender

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— Premiership Rugby (@premrugby) June 3, 2025

The Rugby Awards took place in the City of London as a joint venture between Premiership Rugby, the Rugby Players Association (RPA), Premiership Women’s Rugby (PWR) and Rugby Football Union (RFU).

Leicester Tigers’ Meg Jones was honoured as the PWR’s Player of the Season, while Bristol’s Millie David – the PWR’s joint top try-scorer – won the PWR Breakthrough award.

Bath’s treble-chasing Johann van Graan and Hartpury’s league-winning head coach Sean Lynn, who has since taken on the Wales Women’s job, won their respective Director of Rugby of the Season awards.

Zoe Aldcroft, who led England to yet another Guinness Six Nations Grand Slam, was voted as the best Red Roses player in 2025.

Full list of award winners:

Gallagher Player of the Season: Tomos Williams (Gloucester Rugby)

Breakthrough Player of the Season, presented by Defender: Henry Pollock (Northampton Saints)

Director of Rugby of the Season, presented by London Pride: Johann van Graan (Bath Rugby)

Community Player of the Season, presented by Funding Circle: Ellis Genge (Bristol Bears)

Gallagher Premiership Rugby Top Try Scorer, presented by Christopher Ward: Ollie Hassell-Collins (Leicester Tigers), Gabriel Ibitoye (Bristol Bears) – 13

PWR Player of the Season, presented by Clinique: Meg Jones (Leicester Tigers)

PWR Breakthrough Player of the Season, presented by Defender: Millie David (Bristol Bears)

PWR Director of Rugby of the Season, presented by Asahi: Sean Lynn (Gloucester Hartpury)

PWR Top Try Scorer, presented by Christopher Ward: May Campbell (Saracens), Millie David (Bristol Bears) – 16

England Men’s Player of the Season, presented by Advanta Wealth: Tommy Freeman (Northampton Saints)

England Women’s Player of the Season, presented by LexisNexis Risk Solutions: Zoe Aldcroft (Gloucester Hartpury)

Vodafone Business RPA Gain Line Award: Josh Bassett (Leicester Tigers), Josh Caulfield (Bristol Bears), Harry Glover (Great Britain 7s), Harry Thacker & Jake Woolmore (Bristol Bears)

The RPA Blyth Spirit Award: Taylor Gough

The shortlists for the Gallagher Premiership Rugby awards were chosen by a panel consisting of Rachael Burford (RPA), Christian Day (RPA), Jill Douglas (ITV, BBC), Ali Eykyn (TNT Sports), Hugh Godwin (The i Paper), Chris Jones (BBC), Alex Lowe (The Times), Gavin Mairs (Telegraph), Ugo Monye (BBC, TNT Sports), Nick Mullins (TNT Sports) and Claire Thomas (BBC, TNT Sports).

Past Premiership Player of the Season winners:

2024/25: Tomos Williams (Gloucester)
2023-24: Henry Slade (Exeter)
2022-23: Ollie Lawrence (Bath)
2021-22: Ben Earl (Saracens)
2020-21: Sam Simmonds (Exeter)
2019-20: Jack Willis (Wasps)
2018-19: Danny Cipriani (Gloucester)
2017-18: Vereniki Goneva (Newcastle)
2016-17: Jimmy Gopperth (Wasps)
2015-16: Alex Goode (Saracens)
2014-15: George Ford (Bath)
2013-14: Mike Brown (Harlequins)
2012-13: Tom Youngs (Leicester Tigers)
2011-12: Chris Robshaw (Harlequins)
2010-11: Tom Wood (Northampton Saints)
2009-10: Chris Ashton (Northampton Saints)
2008-09: Chris Robshaw (Harlequins)
2007-08: James Simpson-Daniel (Gloucester)
2006-07: Martin Castrogiovanni (Leicester Tigers)
2005-06: Mike Catt (London Irish)
2004-05: Martin Corry (Leicester Tigers)