More often than not, the award would go to a player from one of the top four teams in the league, and they would earn it through their consistency in producing anchor performances throughout the season.
So, for Lawrence to win the award playing for a Bath team that finished eighth in the Premiership table, is a credit to the young centre and the way he bounced back after the upheaval he faced when Worcester went into receivership earlier in the season.
When any of us have real setbacks in our lives – as the players at Worcester and Wasps did after finding suddenly that they had been made redundant – you have to deal with the adversity. Lawrence did that impressively, as did flanker Ted Hill, by integrating so successfully into the Bath set up.
It meant Lawrence not only coming into a new club and learning different tactics and methods of training, and building new relationships with the players and coaches at The Rec, but also being front and central to Bath’s improvement over the course of the season.
Timing helps when it comes to winning awards, and it seems that what clinched it was Bath winning their last four games in succession, including Lawrence scoring the last-minute breakaway try against Saracens last weekend that secured a place in the European Cup.
It meant that there was a good atmosphere at The Rec after the last match of the season, because the fans, at last, had something to celebrate with big European matches against teams of the calibre of Leinster, La Rochelle and Toulouse back on the fixture list.
This story is from the May 14, 2023 edition of The Rugby Paper.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Sign In
This story is from the May 14, 2023 edition of The Rugby Paper.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
Unbeaten Lymm put the Tykes on a leash
LYMM maintained their unbeaten start to the campaign, taking the major scalp of Leeds Tykes and ending the visitors' unblemished start.
Dramatic late win boosts leaders
A LAST-minute converted try saw Tonbridge Juddians snatch victory from the jaws of defeat at Barnes.
England need to be more consistent
I WAS at last week's game against the All Blacks and as much as I enjoyed my first visit to the stadium since the Six Nations, I couldn't help noticing a different attitude of those in control of the stadium's notification system which puts out messages to the crowd.
Cuthbert: Wales have to deliver
ALEX Cuthbert says the pressure on Wales is huge ahead of their opening Autumn Nations Series game against Fiji today.
Anyanwu heads the list of star attractions
TOP 14 transfer speculation is always thoroughly entertaining, and this season has so far been no exception.
Goldthorp can challenge Kildunne for No.15 spot
LOUGHBOROUGH Lightning head coach Nathan Smith is backing Fran Goldthorp to compete with Ellie Kildunne, right, for England's No.15 jersey.
Four-try David calls the shots for Bears
MILLIE David helped Bristol blow Leicester away after scoring four of their 10 tries at Welford Road.
Scott-Young keen to follow his father
TYPICAL of most Australians, Scott-Young Angus has fairly sunny disposition and the loose forward is confident that Saints can soon start to turn things around on the road.
When value for money is not part of the deal
ENGLAND'S bench strategy against New Zealand - goodbye \"bomb squad\", hello \"squib squad\"-has been investigated, psychoanalysed, convicted on all charges and mercilessly sentenced by the entire rugby world and its maiden aunt, so there is no earthly point in returning to the scene of the crime.
'I want to prove my worth to Bath'
OUT-OF-FAVOUR winger RuBath aridh McConnochie is hoping to use the Premiership Cup to lay down a challenge to Johann van Graan and make his selection claims impossible to ignore.
