Simmonds headlines Opta’s Premiership Team of the Season

Sam Simmonds has been identified as the top performer in this season’s Premiership, as Opta published its Team of the Season on Wednesday.

Exeter Chiefs number eight Simmonds managed 12 tries, five more than any other forward, and also ranked in the top three forwards for metres (647), clean breaks (17) and defenders beaten (44).

Simmonds has been rewarded for his fine performances with a run in the England team, winning his first cap in November and starting three Six Nations fixtures for Eddie Jones’ side.

Jonny May, Joe Launchbury and Mako Vunipola are among the other England stars who have been included in the XV, which is based on the Opta Index.

After each match, Opta completes video analysis of every touch of the ball. Each action is awarded a points value depending on its relative importance.

The player is then given a score for all his actions and this is tallied up over the course of the competition. Scores are averaged out over 80 minutes, with 880+ minutes required to be eligible.

Exeter lost to Saracens in Saturday’s final at Twickenham.

Saracens clinched the Premiership title on Saturday but who makes @OptaJonny‘s Team of the Season?

Here are the 15 lucky players who have been included based on their Opta Index score, with @ExeterChiefs‘ Sam Simmonds identified as the top performer.#AvivaPrem @premrugby pic.twitter.com/rdFbyZeb3p

— Omnisport (@OmnisportNews) May 30, 2018

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