The Premiership Rugby Young Player of the Season, also known as the Breakthrough Player of the Season, is an annual rugby union award presented to players in England, which recognises the most outstanding young player in the Premiership each season.
Rugby union turned professional in 1995, and 1996âÂÂ97 marked the first professional Premiership Rugby season. However, the Young Player of the Season award was only first bestowed during the 1998âÂÂ99 season. The first Young Player of the Season award was given to Newcastle Falcons player Jonny Wilkinson.
Iain Balshaw is the only player to have won the award more than once, winning back-to-back in the 1999âÂÂ2000 and 2000âÂÂ01 seasons.
The nominees of the award must be 23 or younger at the start of the season. The award is presented by the Rugby Players' Association (RPA), and is voted on by the players themselves. The trophy is named after Nick Duncombe, a Harlequins and England scrum-half who tragically died in 2003 from a rare form of blood poisoning at just 21 years old.
The current holder of the award is Northampton Saints' Henry Pollock.
The following table lists the number of awards won by players who have won at least two Player of the Season awards.
Players in bold are still active in the Premiership Rugby.