Despite a commendable season, Bath Rugby left the 2026 Gallagher Premiership Rugby (PREM) Awards empty-handed on Wednesday night. Club captain Ben Spencer was among several nominees but ultimately missed out on the prestigious Gallagher Player of the Season honor.
Saracens’ dynamic number eight Tom Willis took home the top individual award, edging out Spencer, Northampton Saints’ Tommy Freeman, and Leicester Tigers’ Billy Searle. Willis, who will depart English rugby to join Bordeaux-Begles this summer, impressed significantly even though Saracens did not reach the play-offs.
Bath hooker Kepu Tuipulotu was nominated for the Gallagher PREM Breakthrough Player of the Season but was bested by Saracens' leading try-scorer Noah Caluori. Northampton’s Archie McParland and Edoardo Todaro were also shortlisted for this award.
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Bath’s Head of Rugby, Johann van Graan, was a contender for the Director of Rugby of the Year award but lost to Northampton Saints’ Phil Dowson, who guided his team to the league’s top position, despite working with a smaller budget. Other nominees included Geoff Parling of Leicester Tigers and Rob Baxter of Exeter Chiefs.
In the Community Player of the Season category, Bath hooker Tom Dunn was narrowly outpaced by Northampton’s Tom James.
Additional award highlights included:
- Gallagher Player of the Season: Tom Willis (Saracens)
- Gallagher PREM Breakthrough Player of the Season: Noah Caluori (Saracens)
- Director of Rugby of the Season: Phil Dowson (Northampton Saints)
- Community Player of the Season: Tom James (Northampton Saints)
- Try of the Season: Josh Kemeny (Northampton Saints) – vs Sale Sharks, Round 7
- Top Try Scorer: Noah Caluori (Saracens) with 18 tries
The Team of the Season, selected by TNT Sports, featured several Bath players including Thomas du Toit (3) and Ben Spencer (9).
Other accolades awarded at the ceremony featured Joe Heyes as England Men’s Player of the Season and Zoe Harrison as England Women’s Player of the Season.
Although Bath Rugby’s athletes showed strong performances across multiple categories, the night demonstrated the fierce competition within the Premiership and left Bath reflecting on what lies ahead for the next season.